B    3    573    464 


V.!tg-.-W?'r'*>'''t'r:i  :f,->  r  ai  r;ja.;i:^A 


UNPUBLISHED   CORRESPONDENCE  OF 
DAVID  GARRICK 


SOME  UNPUBLISHED  CORRESPONDENCE 

OF 

DAVID  GARRICK 

EDITED  BY 

GEORGE  PIERCE  BAKER 

PROFESSOR  OF  ENGLISH  IN  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY 
iriTH  ILLUSTRJTIONS 


BOSTON 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  AND   COMPANY 

1907 


ttOf?^ 


COPYRIGHT     1907    BY     HOUGHTON    MIFFLIN    &    CO. 
ALL    RIGHTS    RESERVED 


THIS  EDITION  CONSISTS  OF  43O  COPIES  OF  WHICH 
THIS    IS    NO.    )  ?  H 


PRINTED    AT    THE    RIVERSIDE    PRESS    CAMBRIDGE 
MDCCCCVII 


TO 

J.  H.  LEIGH 

WHOSE  GENEROSITY 

MAKES  IT  POSSIBLE  TO  SHARE 

THESE  LETTERS  WITH  THE  PUBLIC 

WHOSE  COURTESY 

HAS  HEIGHTENED  THE  PLEASURE 

OF  EDITING  THEM 

THIS  BOOK  IS  GRATEFULLY 

DEDICATED 


1GG484 


PREFACE 

In  June^  1899,  a  collection  of  some  sixty-six  letters  and 
MSS.  of  David  Garrick  was  offered  for  sale  at  Sotheby''s 
Auction  Rooms ^  London.  The  material  had  been  collected 
by  William  Wright^  a  racing-man^  who^  having  the  fad 
of  extra-illustrating^  had  gathered  for  that  purpose  this  col- 
lection and  many  other  letters^  some  of  them  not  concerning 
Garrick,  Nearly  all  the  letters  and  MSS.  of  the  set,  and  a 
number  of  others  by  Garrick  offered  at  the  same  time,  -weir 
bought  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Leigh,  owner  of  a  rich  collection  of 
theatrical  portraits  and  memorabilia.  Originally  it  was  his 
intention  to  use  his  purchases  for  extra-illustrating,  but  as 
soon  as  their  unusual  value  became  apparent,  he  decided  to 
keep  the  letters  and  MSS.  together,  and,  when  urged  to 
print  them,  very  courteously  put  the  collection  at  the  dis- 
posal of  the  editor  for  such  publication  as  he  should  think 
best.  The  letters  interestingly  f  II  gaps  in  Boaderi's  huge 
and  inept  Private  Correspondence  of  David  Garrick, 
make  important  corrections  in  the  biographies  of  Garrick, 
and  throw  much  light  on  the  man  himself  In  this  book 
some  forty  letters  and  MSS.  are  printed,  all  except  two  for 
the  first  time.  Only  parts  of  these  two  have  before  been  re- 
produced. Of  the  remaining  letters  and  MSS.  in  the  Col- 
lection, but  not  here  reprinted,  two  letters  have  already  been 
printed  by  Boaden,  and  two  bits  of  verse  are  already 


viii  PREFACE 

known;  one  letter  concerns  Garrick  only  indirectly^  and 
the  rest  of  the  letters  deal  with  unimportant  business  or 
social  details. 

Because  eighteenth  century  taste  was  coarser  and  its 
speech  franker  than  our  taste  and  speech  to-day  ^  a  few  lines 
have  been  omitted.  J\/b  attempt  has  been  made  to  reproduce 
blots  and  erasures:  otherwise  the  MSS.  are  duplicated  as 
closely  as  the  types  permit.  However^  it  is  by  no  means 
always  possible  to  be  sure  of  Garrick''  s  intended  capitaliza- 
tion^ punctuation^  or  meaning  in  the  case  of  inadvertent 
omissionsy  for,  as  he  often  said^  he  wrote  ' '  always  in  a 
hurry.''"' 

The  illustrations  in  this  book  are  reproduced  by  per- 
mission  of  J.  H.  Leigh,  Esq. ,  the  Fellows  of  the  Royal 
•College  of  Physicians,  and  the  authorities  of  the  Harvard 
College  Library.  For  this  generous  co-operation  the  editor 
expresses  his  hearty  thanks. 

The  editor  will  welcome  information  in  regard  to  rare 
prints  of  Garrick  and  his  friends  and  unpublished  letters  to 
or  from  him  now  in  private  collections. 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

David  Garrick         ....        frontispiece 

From  a  mezzotint  of  a  cast  of  Garrick's  face. 
Scratched  on  the  lower  margin  of  the  plate  are  the 
words  : '  Publis'd,  April  4^,  1779  by  R.  E.  Pine.' 

Garrick  as  Richard  III       .  .         .  .       page  4 

From  the  original  painting  owned  by  J.  H.  Leigh, 
Esq.  On  the  picture  is  the  following  inscription  in 
red:  'Bardwell  made  this  original  in  ye  ist  year  of 
David's  Reign.' 

Garrick  as  Lord  Ch alkstone  m  his  farce  , '  Lethe  '         8 

Engraved  by  Gabriel  Smith.  The  lower  part  of  the 
print,  divided  into  three  parts  by  vertical  dotted  lines, 
contains  these  verses : 

I 
Well  done  old  Boy !  — pshaw,  damn  the  Gout ! 

The  Chalkstones  never  fail ; 
Thy  Spirits,  tho'  thy  Limbs  give  out, 

Are  brisk  as  bottled  Ale. 

2 

Claret  the  languid  Nerves  renews ; 

Champagne  excites  Desire ; 
The  Glass  a  pretty  Girl  can  chuse ; 

What  more  can  Lord  require  ? 

3 

Let  Grave  ones  preach  up  temp'rate  Rules ; 

They're  Nonsense  to  the  Great : 
Such  sober  Maxims  suit  the  Fools 

Who  're  born  to  no  Estate. 


X  ILLUSTRATIONS 

4 
To  save  the  Land,  or  Arts  restore, 

There  Life  let  others  waste  [;] 
Who  cannot  Game,  and  Drink,  and  Whore, 

Is  not  a  Peer  of  Taste. 

5 
Chalkstone !  thy  Rank  thou  truly  know'st 

The  Nobleman  I  see ! 
And,  Heav'n  be  prais'd !  our  Isle  can  boast. 

Of  many  a  Lord  like  Thee. 

Young  Mrs.  Garrick        ....      page  12 

'From  the  Original  Picture  by  Cath.  Reid,  [once]  in 
the  possession  of  S.  Edwards,  Esq^' The  Collection 
of  Garrick  Prints  in  the  Harvard  College  Library 
contains  this  engraving  in  both  the  first  and  the  sec- 
ond state.  The  first  state,  copied  in  this  book,  bears 
the  statement :  '  London  Published  June  4th  1802  by 
Anthy.  Molteno,  Printseller  to  Her  Royal  Highness 
the  Duchess  of  York,  N9  29,  Pall  Mall.'  The  second 
omits  this  but  adds  just  below  the  picture:  'Engraved 
by  W.  P.  Sherlock.' 

Portions  OF  THE  Marriage  Agreement  .         .16 

From  the  original  in  the  possession  of  J.  H.  Leigh, 
Esq. 

M''^^  ViOLETTE  IN  FANCY  COSTUME  .  .  .20 

From  the  painting  in  the  Collection  at  the  Shake- 
speare Memorial,  Stratford-on-Avon.  By  permission 
of  the  Memorial  Association. 

Garrick  in  the  first  years  of  his  success        .  .     24 

This  print  is  marked :  '  Ar.  Pond  pinx.  I.  Wood 
Sculp.  Publish'd  by  I.  Wood  Ap\  29th  1745.  price  is' 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xi 

Facsimile  of  the  proportions  of  Garrick  and 

QuiNN PAGE  30 

By  Hogarth.  '  From  the  Original  in  the  Collection 
of  J.  P.  Kemble  Esq'  Published  by  Longmans, 
Hurst,  Rees,&  Orme,  Nov'  ist  1808.  T.  Cook,  sc' 
This  print  may  be  found  in  the  '  Graphic  Works  of 
Wm  Hogarth,'  and  in  the  'Whole  Works  of  W™ 
Hogarth.' 

Garrick  as  Ranger  in  Hoadley's  '  The  Suspicious 

Husband'     ......     36 

This  print  is  inscribed :  '  T.  Worlidge  delin  T. 
Lodge  sculp  Publishd  according  to  Act  of  Parliament 
by  M.  A' 

Garrick  as  Tancred  est  James  Thomson's  '  Tan- 

CRED  AND  SiGISMUNDA,'  AcT  I,  Sc.  4      .  .       40 

On  the  print  of  this  in  the  Collection  of  Garrick 
Prints  in  the  Harvard  College  Library  is  written  in 
pencil,  '  T.  Worlidge  1752.* 

Garrick  IN  1751       .  .  .  .  .  .46 

This  print  bears  the  statement  '  Loitard  [Jean 
Etienne  Liotard]  Pinx*  J.  M[ac]Ardell  Fecit.  David 
Garrick,  Esq^  Done  from  the  Original  Picture 
Painted  at  Paris  London,  Printed  for  Rob*  Sayer 
Map  &  Printseller  N?  53  Fleet  St.' 

Garrick  and  his  Wife      .  .  .  .  .50 

'  W.  Hogarth,  Pinx*  H.  Bourne,  Sculpt  Garrick  and 
His  Wife  From  the  Picture  in  the  Royal  Collection 
Publishers :  P.  &  D.  Colnaghi  &  Co.' 

Garrick  as  Sm  John  Brute  in  Vanbrugh's  *  The 

Provoked  Wife,' Act  IV,  Sc.  1        .  .56 

This  mezzotint  (1768)  is  by  Finlayson  after  the  paint- 
ing (1765)  by  Zoffany.  From  the  collection  of  J.  H. 
Leigh,  Esq. 


xii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Dr.  Cadogan  .....      page  64 

From  a  portrait  by  R.  E.  Pine  by  kind  permission  of 
the  Fellows  of  the  Royal  College  of  Physicians. 

The  Handwriting  of  Garrick  and  of  his  Wife      .     70 

From  the  originals  in  the  possession  of  J.  H.Leigh, 
Esq. 

Garrick  circa  1 760  ......      74 

'Tho?  Hudson  pinx*  Chaf  Spooner  fecit.  David  Gar- 
rick Esqf.  Printed  for  Rob*  Sayer,  at  the  Golden  Buck 
in  Fleet  St.'  The  Collection  of  Garrick  Prints  in  the 
Harvard  College  Library  shows  this  in  three  states. 
The  first  is  reproduced  in  this  book.  The  second  and 
third  use  blacker  and  larger  script  for  the  legend, 
and  have  only  '  Thof  Hudson  pinxt'  at  centre  just 
below  picture.  Below  the  name  they  have,  '  London 
printed  for  John  Bowles  &  Son  at  the  Block  House  in 
Cornhill,'  for  the  second  state,  and  for  the  third  state, 
'London  printed  for  John  Bowles  at  N°  13  in  Corn- 
hill.' 

Henri  Louis  Le  Kain        .         .         .         .         .80 

The  print  in  the  Galerie  Franjaise  (1823)  vol.  in 
bears  these  words  :  '  Le  Kain  d'apres  un  email  peint 
d'aprfes  nature,  communique  par  M.  le  Kain  fils.  H. 
Grendon.  Litta  de  Dumanne.' 

Garrick  as  Richard  III  with  Norfolk,  Act  V, 

Sc.  3    .  .  .  .  .  .  .88 

Painted  by  Zoffany.  From  the  original  painting  in 
the  possession  of  J.  H.  Leigh,  Esq. 

Facial  Expression  OF  Garrick  IN 'Romeo'     .         .     96 

From  an  unsigned  print  in  the  Collection  of  Garrick 
Prints  in  the  Harvard  College  Library. 


ILLUSTRATIONS  xiii 

'D.  GaRRICK,  ACTEUR  AnGLOIs'  .  .  PAGE  106 

'  C.  N.  Cochin  filius  delin.  C.  N.  Cochin  et  N.  Du- 
puis  Sculpserunt.'  Engraved  circa  1767. 

David  Garrick      .  .  ,  .  .  .112 

From  the  original  in  the  possession  of  J.  H.  Leigh, 
Esq.  This  portrait  is  attributed  to  Sir  Nathaniel  Dance 
Holland.  Its  peculiar  pose  is,  however,  explained  by 
the  so-called  Gainsborough  portrait  of  Garrick  of 
which  there  is  an  etching  as  frontispiece  of  Joseph 
Knight's  David  Garrick.  The  portraits  seem  nearly 
identical  and  the  so-called  Gainsborough  shows  that 
the  tipping  of  the  figure  to  the  right  is  because  Gar- 
rick is  resting  his  right  elbow  on  his  knee. 

Garrick  as  Leon  in  'Rule  a  Wife  and  Have  a 

Wife 122 

'  R.  Rushbrooke  Esq^  del  Pollard  and  Jukes  sculp.' 
at  left  and  right  of  ovals.  Each  print  bears  the  words  : 
'London:  Publish'd  March  30th  iy86  by  J.  Cary 
Map  and  Print-seller,  corner  of  Arundel  Street.'  The 
right  hand  picture  adds  '  Strand'  at  the  end,  omits 
the  hyphen  in  '  Print-seller,'  and  places  the  '  th ' 
above  '  30.' 

Garrick  as  King  Lear,  Act  III,  Sc.  5  .  .128 

'  Done  from  the  original  Picture  Cha^  Spooner  fecit 
Printed  for  Rob*  Sayer  at  the  Golden  Buck  in  Fleet 
Street.  Publish'd  according  to  Act  of  Parliam*  1761.' 
The  original  picture  was  painted  by  B.  Wilson. 

Garrick  late  in  Life      .  .  .  .  .     1 34 

This  print  is  in  two  states  in  the  Collection  of  Gar- 
rick Prints.  The  first  has:  'T.  Gainsborough  pinxf 
J.  Collyer  sculpt  David  Garrick  Esq^  Published  by 
G.  Kearsly,No46Fleet  Street,  i  Novf  1776.'  The  sec- 
ond places  the  following  between  the  names  of  painter 
and  engraver  :  '  Publish'd  as  the  Act  directs,  i  March 
1779,  by  Fielding  &  Walker,  N9  20  Pater-noster  Row.' 


xiv  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Mrs.  Garrick  AT  97  .  .  .       page  138 

The  print  bears  the  inscription :  '  M^?  Garrick. 
(taken  Sept.  1820.  Etat  97.)  To  His  Royal  Highness 
Prince  Augustus  Frederick,  Duke  of  Sussex,  K.G. 
&c.  &c.  &c.  &c.  This  Plate  is  (with  Permission) 
most  respectfully  inscribed.  By  His  Royal  Highnesses 
most  dutiful,  obliged  &  obedient  Humble  Servant, 
J.  R.  Cruikshank  Published  as  the  Act  directs  for  the 
Proprietor  by  Messrs  Colnaghi  &  CoCockspur  S^Oct. 
1822.' 


THE  MAN  AND  HIS  FRIENDS 


UNIVERSITY 

OF 


SOME  UNPUBLISHED  CORRESPONDENCE 
OF  DAVID  GARRICK 

I 

The  Man  and  his  Fnends 

THAT  young  man  never  had  his  equal,  and  never 
will,"  cried  critical  Alexander  Pope  on  first  seeing 
David  Garrick  act.  Certainly  the  success  of  this  young 
man  of  twenty-five  was  phenomenal.  When  he  had  had 
no  more  experience  of  the  stage  than  one  or  two  half- 
surreptitious  London  performances  and  a  brief  summer 
season  at  Ipswich,  he  made  his  London  debut  at  Good- 
man's Fields  Theatre,  hitherto  unsuccessful  and  three 
or  four  miles  from  the  fashionable  centre  of  the  town. 
How  could  he  hope  that  his  acting  should  at  once  set 
the  town  astir?  Yet  that  is  what  his  Richard  III,  first 
acted  October  19,  1741,  did.  His  insight,  honest  meth- 
ods, his  humor,  his  power  —  in  a  word  his  genius  — 
were  more  and  more  steadily  acclaimed  as  the  season 
advanced.  His  second  year  of  acting  found  him  at 
Drury  Lane,  a  favorite  of  the  best,  intellectually  and 
socially,  in  London.  By  the  autumn  of  1747  he  had 
become  one  of  the  managers  of  Drury  Lane;  by  1752, 
when  he  first  crossed  to  the  Continent  for  a  vacation, 
he  had  become  personally  known  to  the  artistic  world 
of  Paris.  In  brief,  from  1741  till  his  death  in  January, 


2  LETTERS  OF 

1779,  honored  and  even  sincerely  mourned,  he  was  one 
of  the  foremost  figures  of  his  time. 

He  was,  too,  one  of  the  busiest,  for  not  only  must  he 
act  his  many  parts  each  season, — sometimes  as  many 
as  a  hundred, — watch  over  the  business  interests  of 
Drury  Lane,  train  young  actors  and  actresses,  sit  for 
innumerable  portraits,  thread  his  way  through  a  maze 
of  social  obligations,  and  read  the  piles  of  MS.  plays 
submitted  to  him,  but  he  chose  to  tinker  many  of  these 
plays  as  well  as  to  write  plays  of  his  own,  and  to  turn 
out  much  occasional  verse, — not  merely  prologues  and 
epilogues,  but  epigrams  and  congratulatory  or  contro- 
versial stanzas.  In  addition,  in  those  days  when  each 
man  wrote  his  own  letters,  he  was  a  voluminous  corre- 
spondent. In  the  Victoria  and  Albert  Museum  is  a  col- 
lection of  some  twenty-two  hundred  letters  to  and  from 
Garrick,  and  these  can  be  but  a  part  of  his  correspond- 
ence, for  poor  indeed  is  the  collection  of  autographs 
which  has  not  something  of  his. 

So  varied  were  his  powers,  so  mercurial  was  his 
temperament  that  he  has  been  a  difficult  subject  for 
his  biographers,  and  the  portrait  of  him  acceptable  to 
a  critical  yet  sympathetic  student  of  his  time  remains 
to  be  drawn.  One  of  his  biographers,  Joseph  Knight, 
says  of  him  in  closing  his  L\fe^  "A  curiously  complex, 
interesting  and  diversified  character  is  that  of  Garrick. 
Fully  to  bring  it  before  the  world  might  have  taxed 
his  own  powers  of  exposition."  Naturally,  as  a  result 


DAVID  GARRICK  3 

of  this  complexity,  many  in  his  own  day  and  since 
have  failed  to  understand  him;  naturally,  too,  his  great 
success  made  him  intense  enemies.  Consequently  he 
was  not  only  directly  vilified,  but  more  insidiously 
attacked  with  the  anecdote  which  told,  not  what  his 
enemies  knew  to  be  true,  but  what  they  wished  to 
have  believed  true.  As  a  man  he  was,  of  course,  said 
to  be  jealous,  parsimonious,  a  toady  to  rank  and  title; 
as  a  manager  uninterested  in  the  development  of  the 
drama  as  drama,  arrogating  to  himself  all  the  best 
lines,  hard  to  his  actors,  etc., — in  fact  he  was  declared 
guilty  of  the  whole  list  of  sins  charged  up  by  enemies 
against  the  popular  actor  or  actress.  These  accusations 
against  Garrick  the  letters  of  the  Leigh  Collection  do 
much  to  refute. 

Before  Garrick  setded  down  to  his  life-work,  he  rest- 
lessly considered  several  means  of  winning  his  livelihood . 
The  chief  plan  was  the  establishment  in  1737,  with  his 
brother  Peter,  of  a  wine  business.  David  was  to  manage 
the  London  end,  in  Durham  Yard,  and  Peter  the  busi- 
ness at  Lichfield,  the  home  of  the  Garricks.  The  Yard 
was  near  Drury  Lane,  and  the  associations  were  those 
most  likely  to  foster  the  love  of  the  theatre  which  showed 
as  early  as  the  age  of  ten,  when,  with  a  company  of  his 
playmates,  he  gave  Farquhar's  Recruiting  Officer.  Fitz- 
gerald reports '  that  Garrick  said  all  that  kept  him  from 

I  Life  of  Garrick,  i,  40,  Percy  Fitzgerald. 


4  LETTERS  OF 

going  on  the  stage  was  the  pain  he  knew  the  step  would 
mean  to  his  mother.  If,  as  all  of  his  biographers  except 
the  latest,  Mrs.  Parsons,'  report,  she  died  very  shortly- 
after  her  husband,  in  1737-38,  this  could  not  have  been 
the  only  check,  for  the  final  step  did  not  come  till  1 741 . 
Really,  Garrick's  mother  died  some  three  weeks  after 
the  date  of  the  following  letter  with  its  solicitous  inquiry 
for  her  health.  It  is  significant  that  the  following  spring 
shows  Garrick  producing  the  rough  draft  of  his  farce 
Lethcy  and  acting  at  St.  John's  Gate  in  Fielding's  Mock 
Doctor  and  a  burlesque  of  Julius  Caesar;  and  that  the  fol- 
lowing summer  brings  his  Ipswich  experience. 

The  words, ' '  I  should  be  glad  of  some  orders, ' '  of  the 
last  line  of  the  postscript  show  that  there  was  another 
incentive  besides  an  instinct  for  the  stage  to  force  Gar- 
rick into  acting. 

Dear  Peter. 

I  have  receiv'd  Giffard's^Note  safe,  &  he  returns 
his  Thanks  &  will  pay  you  y^  Expences  You  have  been 
at  when  he  sees  you.  M"^  Hassell's  shew'd  me  Yesterday 
a  Letter  from  his  Father  wherein  he  mentions  his  hav- 
ing pa  [id]  ^  You  y®  Money  I  lay'd  down  for  him,  if  It  is 
pay'd  I  must  desire  you  to  Send  Me  up  a  Bill  asoon  as 

1  Garrick  and  fits  Circle,  Parsons,  p.  i8. 

2  Probably  Henry  Giffard,  manager  of  Goodman's  Fields  Theatre, 
for  whose  benefit  Garrick's  Lethe,  in  its  first  form,  had  been  given  at 
Drury  Lane,  April  15,  1740. 

3  Here  as  in  the  other  places  marked  by  [   ]  the  MS.  is  torn. 


YOUNG  GARRICK  AS  RICHARD  III 


J0$Si^jkkl'^ 

'"'^•'•FIW,^ 

y^ 

"^U    ^^ 

A 

-M^^-^ 

1 

^ 

r          WX 

:f 

-..     ^€.^ 

/ 

w 

^.^^f^ 

&'•  ^ 

^ 

-T^. 

'  ^ 

.^ 

\t41 

^r^^^ 

^        -^ 

- 

Jl^l 

^m^ 

ma      -^ 

sii    ' 

m% 

V' 

»^^a 

H^K 

■ 

L 

^^^v 

'^■'■i 

^'^  '      , 

^^■te 

''         '■: 

■■^^ 

''■      ■■■    1^ 

DAVID  GARRICK  5 

possible,  For  Cash  is  rather  Low  &  Brounker'  wants 
his  Money,  pray  let  me  have  It  asoon  as  possible.  I  am 
very  uneasy  till  you  send  Me  a  particular  Acc't  of  my 
Mother;  I  hear  by  Severall  hands  she  is  in  great  Danger, 
pray  my  Duty,  &  I  desire  nothing  may  be  conceal'd 
from  Me.  Doctor  James  is  come  to  Town  for  good  & 
all,  I  [hope]  he  '11  do  very  well,  pray  My  Services  [to 
Mr.]  Nadal's"*  Family,  Love  &  Services  to  Brothers  & 
Sisters  &  believe  me 

Dear  Peter 

Vf  sincerely 

D.  Garrick. 

[At  top  of  opposite  page  is  written] 

The  Ale  I  have  receiv'd  safe,  y^  Carriage  .came  in  all 
to  about  11  shillings  I  believe  IwilP  prove  good. 

I  should  be  glad  of  some  Orders. 

Much  mystery  surrounds  the  origin  of  Eva  Maria 
Violette,  whom  Garrick  married  on  June  22, 1 749.  One 
story*  says  she  was  "the  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Bur- 
lington and  a  young  Italian  lady  of  position,  after  whose 
death  in  Florence  she  was  compelled  to  take  to  the 
stage  as  a  dancer  for  a  livelihood.  Her  father  had,  it 


1  A  friend  of  the  family,  especially  of  Mrs.  Garrick. 

2  Possibly  Sadal  ? 

3  Probably  this  is  //  -will^  for  t  and  w  seem  to  be  run  together. 

4  David  Garrick^  p.  123,  J.  Knight. 


6  LETTERS  OF 

is  said,  looked  with  care  after  her  education,  but  the 
money  he  forwarded  for  her  use  had  been  misapplied 
by  his  agents.  As  a  means  of  getting  her  near  him,  he 
used  his  influence  to  secure  her  a  London  engage- 
ment, and  then  induced  his  legitimate  daughter,  sub- 
sequendy  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  to  accept  her  as 
a  companion."  Another  story'  "represents  her  as  the 
daughter  of  a  Viennese  citizen,  called  Veigel,  a  name 
for  which,  at  the  request  of  Maria  Theresa,  she  sub- 
stituted that  of  Violette,  the  name  of  Veigel  being  a 
patois  corruption  of  Veilchen,  a  violet.  She  was,  how- 
ever, unfortunate  enough  to  attract  the  eye  of  the 
Emperor,  and  was  hurriedly  dispatched  to  England 
out  of  his  way."  What  is  certain  is  that  she  was  so 
skilled  a  dancer  on  her  arrival  in  London  in  1 746  that 
Walpole  speaks  of  her  as  the  finest  in  the  world ;  that 
she  became  the  fashion ;  that  she  was  admitted  to  the 
best  houses;  and  that  the  Burlingtons  especially  pat- 
ronized her.  Lady  Burlington  waiting  for  her  in  the 
wings  when  she  was  on.  The  story  goes  that  Mile. 
Violette  saw  Garrick  act  and  fell  so  desperately  in  love 
with  him  that  she  became  ill.  The  doctor  summoned 
discovered  the  real  situation,  and,  putting  the  case  as 
a  matter  of  life  and  death,  won  the  reluctant  consent  of 
Lady  Burlington,  who  had  designed  to  make  a  titled 
alliance  for  the  girl.    Clearly  we  have  here  the  germ 

I  David  Garrick,^.  12-^.,]. Knight. 


DAVm  GARRICK  7 

of  the  story  which  in  various  languages  has  been  given 
dramatic  presentation,  and  is  best  known  as  Robert- 
son's David  Garrick.  Whatever  the  beginning  of  the 
afiair,  Garrick  pressed  his  suit  with  ardor,  some  ac- 
counts asserting  that  once  he  even  disguised  himself  in 
woman's  clothes  in  order  to  elude  the  watchfulness  of 
Lady  Burlington.  That  he  was  much  in  love  is  shown 
not  only  by  the  letter  which  follows,  but  by  all  the  many 
years  of  perfect  companionship  which  ensued .  The  let- 
ter certainly  proves  that  Garrick  had  no  memories  of 
serious  opposition — pace  the  biographers — from  Lady 
Burlington,  and  that  she  was  so  well  satisfied  with  the 
match  that  she  evidently  had  been  addressing  him  as 
gendre  and  heau-jils.  Probably  these  terms  are  not  to  be 
taken  too  seriously,  or  they  will  go  far  to  establish  the 
relationship  alleged  between  the  Violette  and  Lord  Bur- 
lington. The  letter  certainly  favors  in  its  "  our  Mother 
at  Vienna  "  the  Viennese  origin.  It  is  a  particularly 
characteristic  letter  of  Garrick  in  his  gayer  mood,  and 
shows  how  thoroughly  he  could  put  himself  into  his 
writing. 

Merton  Aug'^  sf 

I  had  this  Day  the  Honf  of  your  Lady  ship's  Letter, 
dated  from  Londesburgh,'  which  is  the  first  I  have  been 
favour 'd  with,  or  at  least  that  has  come  to  my  hand.   I 

I  For  eight  hundred  years  the  seat  of  the  Clifford  family  (Lord  Bur- 
lington's) in  the  East  Riding  of  Yorkshire. 


8  LETTERS  OF 

am  affraid  that  from  Chatsworth '  is  miscarried  if  it  was 
directed  to  y*"  Porter  at  Burlington  House.  I  am  sorry 
your  LadE  makes  no  mention  of  a  Letter  of  Mine  w^*'  Mf 
Moore's  Verses; ""  it  is  something  very  Extraordinary  to 
have  two  Letters  lost  in  the  space  of  a  Week  —  what 
Answer  can  I  possibly  make  to  the  Words,  being  trouble- 
some, ^too  importunate?;  this  surely  is  so  like  Irony,  that 
were  I  not  well  acquainted  with  your  Lad  ~^  goodness  & 
Disposition,  I  should  feel  it  much;  Your  Desire  Madam 
of  receiving  News  from  Us,  &  about  Us,  cannot  pos- 
sibly equal  our  Joy  &  Pride  in  sending  it:  to  give  my 
Reasons  for  this  Assertion  I  know  would  not  be  agre- 
able  to  y""  Lad?  &  tho  low  are  too  apt  to  forget  such  things 
as  I  hint  at,  yet  I  hope  ffe  shall  always  have  Grace 
enough  to  remember  'Em.  I  shall  be  very  carefull  for 
yfuture  how  I  declare  My  Sentime[nts]  of  some  cer- 
tain Persons,  &  tho  I  have  a  right  from  Every  principle 
of  Morality,  &  by  y^  Laws  of  Gratitu  [de] ,  yet  my  heart 
shall  burst  rather  than  overf[low]  &  Give  offence 
—  yet  sure  I  may  be  permitted  to  transcribe  a  part  of  a 
Letter  I  receiv'd  last  week  upon  this  Subject  —  A  most 
worthy  friend  of  Mine  sent  me  his  Congratulations 
upon  my  Marria[ge]  &  desir'd  to  know  whether  Your 


1  Property  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire,  who  married  one  of  Lord 
Burlington's  daughters. 

2  Edward  Moore's  An  Ode  to  David  Garrich  on  the  Talk  of  the 
ToTvn,  1749.  Rumorsaid  that  these  verses  on  Garrick's  marriage  were 
inspired  by  him  to  ward  off  possible  unfavorable  comment. 


GARRICK  AS  LORD  CHALKSTONE 
IN  HIS  FARCE     LETHE' 


DAVID  GARRICK  9 

Lady?  was  for,  or  against  Me:  in  his  Reply  to  my  an- 
swer, he  hath  these  Words;  (w''.''  I  set  down  most  faith- 
fully) 'I  am  not  at  all  surpriz'd  at  Lady  B — 's  great 
and  generous  Behaviour  to  you;  for  I  have  a  List  in  my 
heart  (I  am  sorry  I  cannot  say  it  is  a  long  one)  of  those 
who,  I  imagine  to  have  great  Souls,  and  her  her  [^sic] 
Lady?  (tho  I  have  not  y^  honour  of  knowing  her  per- 
sonally,) stands  very  high  in  that  List.;  You  see 
Madam  tho  I  am  forbid  to  open  my  own  Mouth  on  this 
Subject,  I  can  speak  from  those  of  other  People,  which 
will  be  almost  as  troublesome;  with  this  difference  in- 
deed, that  I  can  bring  proofs  positive,  of  what  they  hold 
in  Supposition  only.  Since  I  must  not  indulge  Myself 
as  I  ought,  &  would  do,  upon  this  favourite  topick,  I 
hope  I  may  have  recourse  to  another,  which  is,  that  of 
praising  Myself,  wAo,  I  myself  {as  Benedick  says)  -will 
hear  Witness  is  praise  worthy  in  this  particular;  I  am  so 
truly  sensible  of  Every  honour  &  Favour  conferr'd  upon 
Me,  that  even  My  Wife  (belov'd  as  She  is)  cannot  In- 
gross  my  Heart  &  thoughts:  when  we  are  alone,  (which 
we  think  our  happiest  Moments)  Your  hi  comes  as 
naturally  in  our  Conversation,  as  our  Words:  this  is  y* 
time  we  speak  the  Language  of  our  hearts,  &  no  Won- 
der that  You  make  the  chief  part  of  our  Conversation. 
I  own  I  have  some  vanity,  &  when  it  is  so  deliciously 
fed  with  Gendre  &  beaujils^  how  is  it  possible  to  con- 
fine it  in  decent  bounds?  I  know  who  must  answer  for 
y^  Consequences  I  have  taken  care  of  y^  Lett-  to  MT 


10  LETTERS  OF 

Keith,  &  I  will  likewise  take  care  that  our  Mother  at 
Vienna  (for  whom  I  have  the  greatest  tenderness)  shall 
be  made  happy  with  regard  to  her  Daughter;  did  she 
know  my  thoughts,  she  would  be  very  Easy;  but  as  it 
is  very  natural  for  her  to  have  apprehensions,  so  I  shall 
look  upon  it  as  my  Duty  to  quiet  'em,  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible: I  love  &  regar  [d]  Every  Body  that  belongs  to  her, 
&  I  flatter  Myself  that  they  will  have  Nothing  to  be 
sorry  for,  but  the  Loss  of  her,  which  (I  can  feel)  must 
be  no  small  Matter  of  Concern  to  'Em.  — The  Gardi- 
ner sent  us  a  Pine  Apple  &  Melon  Yesterday;  the  first 
vv^e  made  a  present  of,  to  our  good  Neighbour,  Mf 
Metcalf ;  we  are  very  happy  in  his  Acquaintan  [ce]  Mf 
Blyth'  din'd  with  us  some  Days  ago,  &  a  very  civil  sen- 
sible Man  he  is,  &  without  Priesthood  &,  Bigottry  [;]  he 
seems  pleas'd  that  Martin "^  has  left  us,  he  did  not  like 
her,  &  gave  us  his  reasons;  he  would  have  been  much 
oblig'd  to  Lord  Burlington  for  some  Franks  — 

There  is  a  very  odd  Story  goes  about  of  the  Miss 
Draxes^  (I  don't  know  how  to  spell  y^  name)  at  Green- 
wich, &  some  young  Gentlemen;  the  Family  is  in  great 
disorder  about  it;  it  makes  a  great  Noise  in  Town,  &  I 
am  affraid  (tho  very  unaccountable)  that  it  is  not  merely 

1  The  Rev.  Mr.  Blythe  had  performed  the  second  marriage  service, 
— Mrs.  Garrick  was  a  Catholic,  — at  the  chapel  of  the  Portuguese 
Embassy. 

2  A  maid,  formerly  Lady  Burlington's. 

3  This  unusual  name  recurs  in  1771  as  "Mrs.  Drax"  in  The  Bath 
Picture^  M.  P.Andrews.  See  W.  F.  Rae's  Sheridan^  i,  141. 


DAVID  GARRICK  n 

Report.  Does  not  your  Lad^  perceive  what  Lengths 
I  run  from  your  Lidulgence  to  Me?  not  content  with 
four  full  Sides  of  Scribble,  I  am  beginning  a  fifth !  &. 
where  my  Impertinence  will  end  I  cannot  guess;  The 
Family  of  ye  ^//c-^^  won't  try  your  Patience  half  so  much 
as  I  shall;  I  have  had  a  full  Description  of  'em  from  a 
very  good  Painter,  &  most  sincerely  wish  it  was  in  my 
Power  to  Ease  you  of  such  an  intolerable  Tax  upon  yf 
Goodnature — 

Your  Lad?  knows  by  this,  that  we  have  receiv'd  your 
two  last  Letters  from  Londesburgh;  they  came  to  us  this 
Morn^  at  Breakfast,  I  could  heartily  wish  you  had  seen 
the  Sudden  Change  of  our  Faces,  &  of  the  whole  CEco- 
nomy  of  y^  Tea  Table — What  we  think  was  then  to  be 
seen,  which  surpasses  Every  thing  we  can  Saj/f  till  we 
had  read  our  Letters,  &Each  had  read  the  Other's,  more 
than  once,  the  Breakfast  was  at  a  Stand  !  M^  Maud's ' 
best  Green  cool'd  in  y^  Cups,  the  Two  Slices  of  Bread 
&  Butter,  (round  the  Loaf,  and  proportionably  thick) 
which  are  cut  &  Eaten  by  Madam  Garrick  Every 
Morning,  lay  neglected  &  forgot !  M^  George*  who  had 
been  out  shooting  &  ready  to  Eat  his  Fingers,  sat  with 
his  Mouth  open:  till  finding  no  probability  of  our  return- 
ing soon  to  what  he  lik'd  better,  feloniously  purloined  one 
of  the  Lady's  Slices,  which  occasion'd  such  a  Battle, 

1  Well-known  tea  merchant.  Tea  was  at  this  time  still  a  fashionable 
luxury. 

2  George  Garrick,  David's  younger  brother. 


12  LETTERS  OF 

that  had  not  I  interpos'd,  poor  George's  head  &  the 
China  had  SufFer'd — however,  as  we  have  very  little 
Malice  among  us,  Matters  are  reconcil'd,  &  y^  family 
is  at  peace. 

You  see  Madam  what  danger  there  is  in  overcharging 
us  with  Joy^  (as  Shakespear  terms  it);  we  are  trans- 
ported with  one  Letter,  &  out  of  our  Wits  at  two — I 
cannot  think  the  Miscarriage  of  that  to  Me  about  y^ 
Verses,  is  owing  to  any  Neglect  at  Burlington  house, 
I  am  affraid  It  was  very  aivkivardly  put  in  at  Chats- 
worth;  I  live  in  some  hopes  to  see  it  yet,  tho  it  is  a  tedi- 
ous Letter  I  will  very  good  natur'dly  take  the  trouble  of 
reading  it.  I  beg  you  would  keep  y^  Verses,  &  I  Wish 
I  knew  y!  opinion  of  'em;  they  are  much  admir'd  in 
Town  by  the  beaux  Esprits.  the  same  Gentleman  (M^ 
Moore)  has  sent  M"  Garrick  his  Fables  for  the  female 
Sex^  very  finely  bound  indeed,  &  in  the  first  leaf  are 
these  four  Lines  to  her! 

To  Wf  Garrick 
Fine  Binding!  and  but  little  in  '?/ 
No  matter  y  "'tis  a  Friend  in  print: 
The  Cover  '*  only  for  your  Fiew^ 
The  Inside  cannot  tutor  You. 

I  hope  by  this  time  the  hurt  receiv'd  by  the  Two 
Accidents  is  well  over;  I  have  some  fear  for  my  Lord's 
Foot,  &  we  all  felt  for  your  Lady?!^  Eyelid — let  my  ad- 
vice be  foUow'd,  &  It  will  hinder  such  Accidents  for  the 


YOUNG  MRS.  GARRICK 


I 


om 


^>^ 


DAVID  GARRICK  13 

future. — If  your  Lad?  would  amuse  Yourself  with  a 
Pen,  instead  of  a  Gun,  there  would  arise  no  Danger  to 
yourself,  &  much  Benefit  to  others,  and  if  M"!  John 
Peters  will  be  so  kind  to  help  his  Memory  by  cutting  of 
his  Hair,  or  M^  Knowlton  will  be  so  good  to  give  his 
opinion  of  things  himself,  My  Lord  may  live  Many 
Years  longer,  &  Numbers  be  the  better  for  it.' 

I  am  glad  y!"  Lad^  approves  of  our  Excuses  to  Lord 
&  Lady  Cobham,  we  have  had  other  Invitations,  & 
upon  our  not  accepting  th[em]  we  are  told.  Nothing 
but  Chiswick  will  go  down,  &  upon  My  Word  they  are 
in  the  right:  we  were  going  the  other  Night  in  Imag- 
ination to  Londesburgh,  &  a  Sweet  Journey  we  had, 
My  Lady  was  very  near  Desiring  to  make  it  real,  but 
such  Objections  arose,  that  we  were  oblig'd  to  See  It, 
only  in  the  Mind's  Eye.  your  Lady^  mentions  in  her 
Lettp]  something  about  M5  Paysant  &  y^  Gazette,  I 
rec'd  no  Such  Lett'  or  Order,  &  Suppose  it  was  Sent 
in  the  Unfortunate  packet  from  Chats  worth  —  Now 
for  some  News  of  very  little  Consequence  —  My  Lord 
Radnor  plagu'd  our  hearts  to  dine  with  him,  we  at  last 
agreed  (for  we  hate  to  dine  from  home)  &  he  had  invited 
the  Parson's  Wife  to  meet  M*".^  Garrick  —  but  such  a 
Dinner  so  dress'd  &  so  serv'd  up  in  unscour'd  Pewter, 
we  never  Saw;  the  Wine  was  worse,  but  made  some- 

I  Apparently  Lord  and  Lady  Burlington  had  been  injured  by  the 
unexpected  discharge  of  a  gun  which  John  Peters  had  declared  un- 
loaded, when  Mr.  Knowlton  referred  the  question  to  him. 


14  LETTERS  OF 

what  better  by  the  dead  flies;  in  Short,  we  were  soon 
both  sick  &  unsatisfy'd;  &  we  ratded  the  one  horse 
chair  home  as  fast  as  we  could,  where  we  recruited  our 
Spirits  again,  with  a  clean  Cloth,  two  roasted  Pigeons,  , 
and  the  best  currant  Pye  in  y?  Kingdom,  the  county  of 
York  excepted.'  However  My  Lord  was  Extreamly 
civil,  &  mighty  obliging  in  his  way  —  There  is  a  Re-  ^• 
port  which  is  believ'd  by  Many,  that  Lord  Granville  is 
got  into  the  Ministry  —  your  LP  will  see  by  y^  Enclos'd 
Prints,  that  a  Much  greater  Man*  is  attack'd  upon  his 
amours,  — the  little  Savoyard  Girl  was  .certainly  in  y*" 
forest:  &  it  is  confidently  affirm'd,  that  she  refus'd  some 
Offers;  she  tells  the  Story  &  grinds  her  Musick  for  half 
a  Crown  in  the  purlieus  of  Cov.  Garden  —  The  other 
Print,  is  a  second  &  more  Accurate  Description  of  Miss 
C — 's  dress;^  some  say  laughingly,  that  this  is  pub- 
lish'd  by  herself  to  vindicate  her  Decency  from  false 
Imputations;  theGentieman  talking  to  her  in  y*"  Domino, 
may  be  known  by  his  Hat  —  what  shall  I  now  Say,  for 
Sending  y!  Lad?  such  an  incoherent  Medley,  such  an 
unconnected  illwritten  Jumble  of  trifiles;  to  return  your 


1  Excepted  because  Lady  Burlington  was  staying  at  Londesburgh 
in  Yorkshire. 

2  George  II  ? 

3  Miss  Elizabeth  Chudleigh,  afterwards  the  infamous  Duchess  of 
Kingston.  Walpole  writes  of  her  at  this  masquerade,  in  April,  1749, 
"Miss  Chudleigh  was  Iphigenia,  but  so  naked  that  you  would  have 
taken  her  for  Andromeda."  Letters  of  Horace  Walpole,Yonge,i,  loS. 
The  King  paid  her  marked  attention  on  this  occasion. 


DAVID  GARRICK  15 

Lad'^  Counters'^  for  Sterling  is  no  great  Proof  of  my 

Modesty  — I  pay  w*  I  have,  &  am  happy  they  Will  be 

receiv'd  —  I  would  write  My  Lett""!  better,  but  a  lame 

thumb,  &  a  natural  Carelessness  hinder  Me — however 

I  shall  be  contented  if  through  all  this,  your  Lad.  sees, 

what  I  really  am. 

Your  most  Dutifull 

&  Grateful!  Servant 

D.  Garrick. 

At  the  time  of  the  marriage  it  was  reported  that  the 
settlement  was  £10,000,  the  Burlingtons  providing  six 
and  Garrick  four.  Fitzgerald^  notes  that  Mr.  Carr, 
Garrick' s  solicitor,  "seemed  to  say  that  Mrs.  Garrick 
denied  ever  receiving  money  from  the  Burlingtons,  add- 
ing that  she  had  only  the  interest  of  £6000,  which  was 
paid  to  her  by  the  Duke  of  Devonshire. ' '  His  son  mar- 
ried a  daughter  of  Lady  Burlington,  so  that  the  Duke 
might  naturally  have  been  a  trustee  for  the  settlement. 
"It  would  seem  probable,  therefore,  that  the  money 
came  from  Germany,  furnished  by  the  same  high  inter- 
est which  had  sent  her  to  England."  The  marriage 
settlement  in  the  Leigh  Collection  throws  needed  light ^ 


1  Imitation  coin. 

2  Life  of  Garrick,  P.  Fitzgerald,  i,  241,  and  second  note. 

3  This  Indenture  Quadrupartite  made  the  twentieth  day  of  June 
in  the  twenty  third  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  George  the 
Second  King  of  Great  Britain  France  and  Ireland,  Defender  of  the 


16  LETTERS  OF 

on  these  conflicting  guesses.   It  shows  that  though 
Garrick  settled  £10,000  on  Mrs.  Garrick,  Lady  Bur- 


Faith  and  so  forth  and  in  the  Year  of  Our  Lord  One  thousand  seven 
hundred  and  forty  nine  Between  David  Garrick  of  the  parish  of  Saint 
Paul  Covent  Garden  in  the  County  of  Middlesex  Esquire  of  the  first 
part  Eva  Maria  Violette  of  Chiswick  in  the  said  County  of  Middlesex 
Spinster  of  the  second  part  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  of  Lincolns  Inn  in 
the  said  County  of  Middlesex  Esquire  and  Samuel  Sharp  Citizen  and 
Surgeon  of  London  of  the  third  part  and  the  Right  Honourable  Doro- 
thy Countess  of  Burlington  of  the  fourth  part  Whereas  a  Marriage  is 
intended  to  be  shortly  had  and  solemnized  between  the  said  David  Gar- 
rick and  Eva  Maria  Violette  And  Whereas  the  said  Countess  of  Bur- 
lington hath  to  the  good  liking  of  the  said  David  Garrick  secured  to 
him  his  Executors  Administrators  or  Assigns  the  sum  of  five  thousand 
pounds  as  for  and  towards  the  Marriage  portion  of  the  said  Eva  Maria 
Violette  his  intended  Wife  Now  this  Indenture  witnesseth  that  in 
consideration  of  the  said  intended  Marriage  and  of  the  said  Marriage 
portion  of  the  said  Eva  Maria  Violette  so  secured  to  him  the  said  David 
Garrick  his  Executors  Administrators  or  Assigns  by  the  said  Countess 
and  for  and  towards  making  a  suitable  provision  for  the  said  Eva  Ma- 
ria Violette  in  case  she  shall  happen  to  survive  him  and  for  the  child 
or  children  of  the  said  intended  Marriage  if  any  such  shall  be  the  said 
David  Garrick  Doth  hereby  for  himself  his  heirs  executors  and  Admin- 
istrators covenant  promise  and  agree  to  and  with  the  said  Anthony 
Thomas  Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp  their  executors  and  Administrators 
that  in  case  the  said  intended  marriage  shall  take  effect  he  the  said 
David  Garrick  in  his  lifetime  or  his  executors  or  Administrators  within 
six  Kallendar  months  next  after  his  decease  shall  and  will  well  and 
truly  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  to  the  said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and 
Samuel  Sharp  or  to  such  Trustees  for  the  time  being  as  are  hereinafter 
mentioned  the  sum  of  Ten  thousand  pounds  of  la\vfull  money  of  Great 
Britain  to  be  by  them  immediately  upon  receipt  thereof  invested  in  the 
purchase  of  such  Government  or  other  public  Stocks  or  securities  as 
the  said  David  Garrick  his  Executors  or  Administrators  shall  direct  or 
approve  of  in  the  names  of  them  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being 
upon  the  trusts  and  to  and  for  the  uses  intents  and  purposes  herein- 
after mentioned  and  declared  of  and  concerning  the  same  And  also 
that  he  the  said  David  Garrick  shall  and  will  during  the  joint  lives  of 
them  the  said  David  Garrick  and  Eva  Maria  his  intended  wife  well  and 


PORTIONS  OF  THE  MARRIAGE  AGREEMENT 


.1^ 


■6% 


., .;  /,  r,  .:  -  i-^j:.    -r    t  ^  V  -  i  „  t    i ._ 
p!  Ow  -0  •,  C  'r;  —  r-^  ,  .i.  '-  ■■-  ^  h  o  .^    t  r. 


•5  4--  i  ^^1  il 


J   e   5    -;    ^  J  f'  C 


if 


2       '■.      ,^     _9     f     ''y 

am  '    "  ~ 


li- 


,>    .;,  'y    i    c.    ;   ':   i;    .. 


3  ■< 


r  ;  ^  H  ■:  Sl    ,    ' 


"^^f^^ 


^gr-gs     ^ 


': 


\ 


tl^l 


>,f 


I'l"^.'-' 


UKMVERSITY 


iH^y 


DAVID  GARRICK  ir 

lington  had  previously  secured  to  him  £5000  as  Mrs. 
Garrick's  wedding  portion. 


truly  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  unto  the  said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and 
Samuel  Sharp  or  to  such  Trustees  for  the  time  being  as  are  hereinafter 
mentioned  the  yearly  sum  of  Seventy  pounds  on  the  Feast  Days  of  the 
Nativity  of  Our  Lord  Christ  and  of  the  Nativity  of  Saint  John  the  Bap- 
tist in  every  year  by  even  and  equal  portions  the  first  of  the  said  pay- 
ments to  begin  and  be  made  upon  the  Feast  Day  of  the  Nativity  of  Our 
Lord  Christ  which  shall  happen  next  after  the  solemnization  of  the 
said  intended  marriage  such  yearly  sum  of  Seventy  pounds  to  be  from 
time  to  time'.by  them  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  paid  applyed 
and  disposed  of  to  the  proper  hands  of  the  said  Eva  Maria  Violette  for 
her  own  private  sole  and  seperate  use  or  to  such  person  or  persons  and 
to  and  for  such  uses  intents  and  purposes  as  she  the  said  Eva  Maria 
Violette  shall  from  time  to  time  by  any  writing  under  her  hand  with- 
out her  said  husband  nominate  direct  or  appoint  And  it  is  hereby  de- 
clared and  agreed  by  and  between  all  the  said  parties  to  these  presents 
that  the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  when  paid  as  aforesaid  and 
the  said  Government  or  other  publick  Stocks  or  securities  as  soon  as 
the  same  shall  be  purchased  therewith  shall  be  and  remain  vested  in 
them  the  said  Trustees  thereof  for  the  time  being  upon  the  Trusts  and 
to  and  for  the  uses  intents  and  purposes  and  under  and  subject  to  the 
provisoes  conditions  and  limitations  and  Agreements  hereinafter  men- 
tioned expressed  and  declared  of  and  concerning  the  same  that  is  to 
say  Upon  trust  that  they  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  do  and 
shall  well  and  truly  pay  or  cause  to  be  paid  unto  the  said  David  Garrick 
and  his  Assigns  from  time  to  time  for  and  during  the  term  of  his  na- 
tural life  (in  case  he  shall  have  paid  the  said  ten  thousand  pounds  to 
them  the  said  Trustees  in  his  lifetime)  all  the  clear  dividends  Interest 
profits  and  proceed  of  the  said  Stocks  and  securities  which  shall  have 
been  purchased  therewith  or  permit  him  the  said  David  Garrick  or  his 
Assigns  to  receive  the  same  during  his  life  to  and  for  his  and  their  own 
use  and  benefit  and  from  and  after  his  decease  in  case  the  said  Eva 
Maria  Violette  shall  happen  to  survive  him  Upon  trust  that  they  the 
said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  do  and  shall  well  and  truly  pay  or 
cause  to  be  paid  unto  the  said  Eva  Maria  Violette  and  her  Assigns  from 
time  to  time  for  and  during  the  term  of  her  natural  life  all  the  divi- 
dends Interest  profits  and  proceed  of  the  said  Stocks  and  Securities  or 
permit  her  the  said  Eva  Maria  Violette  or  her  Assigns  to  receive  the 


18  LETTERS  OF 

Not  long  after  the  early  triumphs,  Garrick  began  to 
figure  among  the  literary  men  of  the  time.  In  the  follow- 


same  during  her  life  to  and  for  her  and  their  own  use  and  benefit  and 
from  and  after  the  decease  of  the  Survivor  of  them  the  said  David  Gar- 
rick and  Eva  Maria  Violette  in  case  there  shall  then  be  living  one  or 
more  child  or  children  of  the  said  intended  marriage  Upon  trust  that 
they  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  shall  and  do  from  time  to 
time  apply  and  dispose  of  all  and  every  the  growing  Dividends  Interest 
profits  and  proceed  of  the  said  Stocks  and  Securities  for  and  towards 
the  maintenance  and  education  of  such  child  or  children  until  such 
child  or  children  being  a  Son  or  sons  shall  respectively  attain  the  age 
of  twenty  one  years  or  being  a  daughter  or  daughters  shall  respectively 
attain  the  said  age  or  be  married  which  shall  first  happen  and  that  in 
such  manner  and  (if  more  than  one  child  then  in  such  proportions  as 
the  said  David  Garrick  by  any  vn-iting  under  his  hand  and  Seal  attested 
by  two  or  more  credible  witnesses  or  by  his  last  Will  and  Testament  in 
writing  to  be  by  him  signed  in  the  presence  of  the  like  number  of  cred- 
ible witnesses  shall  direct  or  appoint  and  in  default  of  such  direction 
or  Appointment  then  equally  amongst  them  the  said  children  share 
and  share  alike  And  also  upon  further  Trust  that  they  the  said  Trus- 
tees for  the  time  being  shall  and  do  transferr  or  dispose  of  the  said 
Capital  Stocks  and  securities  to  such  child  or  children  being  a  Son  or 
Sons  when  he  or  they  shall  respectively  attain  the  said  Age  of  twenty 
one  years  or  being  a  daughter  or  daughters  when  she  or  they  shall  re- 
spectively attain  the  said  age  or  be  married  which  shall  first  happen 
and  that  in  such  shares  and  proportions  if  more  than  one  such  son  shall 
attain  his  said  age  or  more  than  one  such  daughter  shall  attain  her 
said  age  or  be  married  as  the  said  David  Garrick  by  such  writing  or 
last  Will  as  aforesaid  attested  as  aforesaid  shall  direct  or  appoint  And 
in  default  of  such  direction  or  appointment  then  equally  to  and  amongst 
them  the  said  children  so  respectively  of  age  or  married  as  aforesaid 
share  and  share  alike  But  in  case  any  such  child  or  children  shall  so 
respectively  come  of  age  or  be  married  as  aforesaid  in  the  lifetime  of 
them  the  said  David  Garrick  and  Eva  Maria  Violette  or  of  either  of 
them  then  the  share  and  proportion  of  such  child  or  children  respect- 
ively of  and  in  the  said  Capital  Stocks  or  Securities  shall  be  respect- 
ively transferred  to  him  her  or  them  within  three  Kallendar  Months 
next  after  the  decease  of  the  Survivor  of  them  the  said  David  Garrick 
and  Eva  Marie  Violette  and  In  Case  there  shall  happen  to  be  no  child 


DAVID  GARRICK  19 

ing  letter  to  Samuel  Richardson,  acknowledging  the 
present  of  the  first  three  volumes  of  Clarissa  Harlowe^ 


of  the  said  intended  marriage  or  there  being  one  or  more  such  child  or 
children  each  and  every  of  them  shall  happen  to  dye  before  his  her  or 
their  respective  share  or  shares  shall  become  transferrable  to  him  her 
or  them  as  aforesaid  then  upon  further  Trust  that  they  the  said  Trus- 
tees for  the  time  being  shall  and  do  immediately  after  the  decease  of 
the  said  Eva  Maria  Violette  and  such  failure  of  issue  of  the  said  in- 
tended Marriage  as  aforesaid  the  said  Trustees  costs  and  charges  in 
and  about  the  execution  of  the  Trusts  aforesaid  being  first  fully  paid 
and  satisfyed  assign  transferr  and  dispose  of  the  said  Capital  Stocks 
and  Securities  unto  the  said  David  Garrick  his  Executors  Adminis- 
trators or  Assigns  to  and  for  his  and  their  own  use  and  benefit  or  as  he 
or  they  shall  in  that  behalf  direct  or  appoint  Provided  alw^ays  and  it 
is  hereby  declared  and  agreed  by  and  between  all  the  said  parties  to 
these  presents  that  in  case  the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  or  any 
part  thereof  shall  be  paid  to  or  vested  in  them  the  said  Anthony  Thomas 
Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp  or  any  of  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being 
in  the  lifetime  of  the  said  David  Garrick  and  Eva  Maria  his  intended 
Wife  then  and  in  such  case  it  shall  and  may  be  lavsrfull  to  and  for  such 
Trustees  for  the  time  being  from  time  to  time  during  the  said  joint 
lives  to  pay  apply  and  dispose  of  the  interest  and  proceed  of  the  said 
sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  or  of  so  much  thereof  as  shall  so  have  been 
paid  to  or  vested  in  them  the  said  Trustees  respectively  in  pursuance 
of  these  presents  or  the  Dividends  profits  and  proceed  of  the  said  stocks 
or  Securities  when  purchased  in  the  first  place  in  or  towards  payment 
or  satisfaction  of  the  said  yearly  sum  of  seventy  pounds  so  by  the  said 
David  Garrick  hereinbefore  covenanted  to  be  paid  to  them  for  the  pur- 
poses aforesaid  anything  hereinbefore  contained  to  the  contrary  thereof 
in  anywise  notwithstanding  Provided  also  and  it  is  hereby  further 
declared  and  agreed  by  and  between  all  the  said  parties  to  these  pre- 
sents that  in  case  the  said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp 
or  either  of  them  shall  die  or  be  desirous  to  quit  and  be  discharged  of 
and  from  the  trusts  aforesaid  at  any  time  or  times  before  the  same  shall 
be  fully  executed  and  performed  then  and  in  any  such  case  it  shall  and 
may  be  lawf ull  to  and  for  the  said  David  Garrick  and  Eva  Maria  his  in- 
tended Wife  or  the  Survivor  of  them  or  the  Executors  or  Administra- 
tors of  such  Survivor  by  any  Writing  or  Writings  under  their  his  or 
her  respective  hands  and  Seals  attested  by  two  or  more  credible  Wit- 


20  LETTERS  OF 

Garrick's  phrase  is  so  ambiguous  at  the  opening  of 
the  third  paragraph  that  he  seems  to  be  thanking  the 

nesses  to  nominate  substitute  or  appoint  any  other  person  or  persons 
to  be  Trustee  or  Trustees  for  the  purposes  aforesaid  in  the  place  and 
stead  of  them  the  said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp  or 
such  of  them  as  shall  so  die  or  be  desirous  to  quit  and  be  discharged  of 
and  from  the  said  Trusts  and  so  from  time  to  time  and  as  often  as  there 
shall  be  the  like  occasion  to  nominate  substitute  or  appoint  any  other 
person  or  persons  to  be  a  Trustee  or  Trustees  in  manner  and  for  the 
purposes  aforesaid  in  the  place  and  stead  of  any  such  present  or  suc- 
ceeding Trustee  or  Trustees  and  that  if  any  new  Trustee  or  Trustees 
shall  be  nominated  or  appointed  as  aforesaid  before '  as  the  said 

sum  of  Ten  thousand  pounds  shall  be  payable  and  paid  by  the  said 
David  Garrick  his  Heirs  Executors  or  Administrators  pursuant  to  his 
said  Covenant  hereinbefore  in  that  behalf  contained  then  and  in  that 
case  the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  shall  be  payable  and  paid  to 
such  persons  as  shall  at  the  time  of  such  payment  be  the  Trustees 
thereof  in  pursuance  and  by  virtue  of  these  presents  and  In  case  such 
new  Trustee  or  Trustees  shall  be  nominated  or  appointed  as  aforesaid 
after  such  time  as  the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand  pounds  shall  have  been 
paid  pursuant  to  the  said  Covenant  and  invested  in  such  Stocks  and 
Securities  as  aforesaid  then  and  so  often  the  said  Stocks  and  securities 
or  so  much  thereof  as  shall  not  have  been  applyed  or  disposed  of  in  pur- 
suance of  these  presents  shall  with  all  convenient  speed  be  assigned 
and  transferred  so  and  in  such  manner  as  that  the  same  shall  be  legally 
and  effectually  vested  in  the  surviving  or  continuing  Trustee  and  in 
such  new  Trustee  and  that  every  such  new  Trustee  shall  and  may  in  all 
things  act  in  the  management  and  execution  of  the  said  Trusts  hereby 
created  or  declared  of  and  concerning  the  said  sum  of  ten  thousand 
pounds  or  such  of  them  as  shall  then  remain  to  be  executed  and  per- 
formed as  fully  and  effectually  as  if  he  had  been  originally  in  and  by 
these  Presents  expressly  named  and  appointed  a  Trustee  for  such  pur- 
pose anything  hereinbefore  contained  to  the  contrary  thereof  in  any 
wise  notwithstanding  And  it  is  hereby  further  declared  and  agreed  by 
and  between  all  the  said  parties  to  these  Presents  that  all  and  every 
person  and  persons  to  whom  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  shall 
sell  and  transfer  all  or  any  part  of  the  said  Stocks  and  Securities  so  to 
be  vested  in  them  the  said  Trustees  respectively  and  the  respective 

I  MS.  illegible. 


MLLE.  VIOLETTE  IN  FANCY  COvSTUME 


DAVID  GARRICK  21 

author  for  some  compliment  paid  him  in  the  third  vol- 
ume of  the  novel,  but  as  none  appears  in  it,  he  must 
mean  merely  to  thank  Richardson  for  the  compliment 
which  the  present  means. 


exors  admors  and  assigns  of  such  respective  purchaser  and  purchasers 
shall  and  may  upon  payment  of  the  purchase  money  to  be  contracted 
for  unto  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  hold  and  enjoy  the  said 
Stocks  and  Securities  or  such  parts  thereof  as  shall  be  so  sold  and 
transferred  to  him  and  them  respectively  freed  and  discharged  of  and 
from  all  and  every  the  uses  trusts  charges  provisoes  and  incumbrances 
herein  or  hereby  limitted  or  declared  of  or  concerning  the  same  and 
the  receipt  or  receipts  of  them  the  said  Trustees  for  the  time  being  un- 
der their  respective  hands  shall  from  time  to  time  effectually  discharge 
the  said  purchaser  or  purchasers  from  all  such  sum  or  sums  of  money 
as  shall  in  such  receipt  or  receipts  be  expressed  or  contained  and  no 
such  purchaser  or  purchasers  shall  be  ansvi^erable  or  accountable  for 
any  loss  misapplication  or  nonapplication  of  the  said  purchase  money 
or  any  part  thereof  And  it  is  hereby  further  declared  and  agreed  and 
the  true  intent  and  meaning  of  these  Presents  and  of  all  the  said  parties 
thereto  is  that  the  said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp  and 
all  and  every  such  new  Trustee  and  Trustees  as  shall  be  hereafter  nom- 
inated and  appointed  in  pursuance  of  these  Presents  and  their  several 
Executors  Administrators  and  assigns  or  any  of  them  shall  not  be  an- 
svrerable  or  accomptable  for  more  of  the  moneys  to  be  received  by  vir- 
tue of  these  Presents  than  vi^hat  each  of  them  respectively  shall  actually 
receive  nor  shall  be  any  wise  subject  or  liable  to  answer  for  the  acts 
receipts  neglects  or  defaults  of  each  other  in  the  execution  of  the  said 
Trusts  but  each  of  them  only  for  his  own  acts  receipts  and  willfuU  de- 
faults nor  shall  they  or  any  of  them  be  answerable  for  or  chargeable 
with  any  unavoidable  loss  which  shall  or  may  happen  of  or  in  any  of 
the  said  trust  moneys  Stocks  or  securities  And  lastly  that  they  the 
said  Anthony  Thomas  Abdy  and  Samuel  Sharp  and  all  and  every  such 
new  Trustee  and  Trustees  as  shall  hereafter  be  nominated  and  ap- 
pointed in  pursuance  of  these  Presents  and  their  several  Executors 
Administrators  and  Assigns  and  each  and  every  of  them  shall  and  may 
in  the  first  place  deduct  and  retain  out  of  the  moneys  which  shall  come 
to  their  respective  hands  on  account  or  by  means  of  all  or  any  of  the 
trusts  hereby  reposed  and  vested  in  them  all  such  sum  or  sums  of 


22  LETTERS  OF 

The  letter  is  especially  interesting  for  its  evidence  of 
one  weakness  from  which  no  apologist  can  probably  free 
Garrick,  his  morbid  self-consciousness  that  kept  him 
throughout  his  Ufe  far  too  alert  for  what  the  world 
might  think  or  say  of  his  actions.  But,  after  all,  that  is 
the  price  which  nearly  every  actor  must  pay  for  his 
endowment  of  double  consciousness,  the  one  creating, 
the  other  ever  critically  guiding  by  instinct  and  by 
closest  observation  of  ejffects  produced  on  the  public. 

money  costs  charges  expenses  and  damages  as  they  shall  respectively 
pay  expend  sustain  or  be  put  unto  for  or  by  reason  or  means  of  the 
said  trusts  or  any  of  them.  In  Witness  whereof  the  said  parties  to 
these  presents  have  hereunto  interchangeably  set  their  hands  and 
seals  the  day  and  year  first  above  vsrritten. 

(Signed)  David  Garrick 

Eva  Maria  Violette 
Anty  Thos  Abdy 
Sami  Sharp 
Dorothy  Burlington 

Sealed  and  Delivered  (being  first  duly  Stampt)  in  the  presence  of 

,    .        ,.  John  Paterson 

(S'S"^^)  SamlStandring 

Memorandum  that  before  the  execution  of  the  within  Indenture  It 
was  agreed  by  and  between  the  parties  thereto  that  the  within  named 
Eva  Maria  Viollette  from  and  after  her  marriage  with  the  within  named 
David  Garrick  and  notwithstanding  thereof  all  &  singular  the  Jewells 
and  ornaments  of  her  person  which  she  now  hath  or  which  hereafter 
shall  be  presented  to  her  shall  keep  possess  and  enjoy  to  and  for  her 
own  sole  and  seperate  use  for  ever  no  wise  subject  to  the  debts  power 
or  comptroU  of  her  said  intended  husband  nor  in  case  of  his  death  be- 
fore her  to  be  deemed  assetts  of  his  personal  Estate 

(Signed)        David  Garrick 
Witness 

(Signed)        John  Paterson 
"  Sam'  Standring 


DAVID  GARRICK  23 

Monday  Dec''!'  12*''  1748 
Dear  Sir. 

Give  me  leave  to  return  you  my  thanks  for  the 
three  Vol^  of  Clarissa,  &  to  confess  to  you  how  asham'd 
&  sorry  I  am,  that  I  have  not  seen  you  for  so  long  a 
time. 

I  would  not  have  you  imagine,  I  am  so  sillily  ceremo- 
nious, to  insist  upon  seeing  you  first  in  King's  Street:  I 
hate  such  formal  doings;  nor  indeed  am  I  so  little  Self 
interested  to  debar  Myself  the  Pleasure  of  seeing  You 
because  You  are  too  indolent  to  come  to  Me — 

The  honour  you  have  done  Me  (&  I  do  most  sincerely 
think  it  a  great  one)  in  y*^  last  Volume,  has  flatter'd  me 
extreamly;  and  had  not  a  Visit  from  Me  immedeately 
[on]  the  Receipt  of  Your  present,  appear'd  m  [ore]  the 
Effect  of  your  favours,  than  my  Friendship  I  had  seen 
you  last  Week;  but  as  I  ha[ve]  now  kept  from  you  a 
decent  time,  I  will  wait  upon  you  soon  to  thank  you 
i[n]  Person  for  your  last  good  Offices  to  Me 

lam 
Dear  Sir 

Y^  most  Obedient 
humble  Serva  [nt] 
D.  Garrick 

Early  in  1766  Samuel  Foote,  probably  the  cleverest 
mimic  of  his  day,  met  with  an  accident  which  seemed  at 


24  LETTERS  OF 

first  likely  to  incapacitate  him  as  an  actor.  Visiting  at 
Lord  Mexborough's  with  the  Duke  of  York  and  a  party 
of  men  of  rank,  he  foolishly  boasted  that  he  could  ride 
as  well  as  most  men  he  had  known.  Of  course  he  was 
given  a  chance  to  show  his  skill  and  on  a  particularly 
mettlesome  horse  of  the  Duke's.  It  promptly  threw  him 
with  such  violence  as  to  fracture  one  of  his  legs  in  two 
places,  and  amputation  became  necessary.  Later  he  be- 
came so  expert  with  his  cork  leg  that  it  in  no  way  inter- 
fered with  his  career. 

Though  at  the  time  of  the  accident  Foote  was  man- 
ager of  the  Little  Theatre  in  the  Haymarket,  formerly 
he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Drury  Lane  company. 
There  he  had  learned  that  his  bludgeon  wit  could  make 
Garrick  acutely  miserable,  and  had  often  delighted  to 
make  him  writhe.  Indeed,  it  is  to  him  that  we  owe  most  of 
the  stories  of  Garrick' s  stinginess.  Nevertheless,  when 
Foote  met  with  the  accident,  Garrick  at  once  wrote  in  the 
kindest  manner,  saying:  "Should  you  be  prevented  from 
pursuing  any  plan  for  the  theatre,  I  am  wholly  at  your 
service,  and  will  labour  in  your  vineyard  for  you,  in  any 
capacity,  till  you  are  able  to  do  it  so  much  better  for  your- 
self. ' '  And  he  signs  himself, ' '  with  warmest  wishes  for 
your  recovery,  Your  most  sincere  friend  and  humble 
servant.'"  Foote's  answer  to  this  seems  to  have  brought 

I  Private  Correspondence,  i,  221-22.  A  lost  letter  of  Garrick  should 
evidently  stand  between  Foote's  letter  of  February  26,  printed  in 
Boaden,  and  his  letter  printed  above. 


GARRICK 
IN  THE  FIRST  YEARS  OF  HIS  SUCCESS 


DAVID  GARRICK  25 

another  kind  letter  from  Garrick,  for  Foote  writes  this 
very  friendly  reply  on  March  2, 1 766.  Yet  Dr.  Kenrick, 
the  most  diabolical  of  Garrick's  detractors,  dared  in  some 
verses  to  make  Garrick  refer  to  this  very  accident  thus : 
' '  Curse  on  his  horse !  One  leg,  but  one  to  break. ' ' 

Mch2. 
Dear  Sir 

Before  I  had  the  favor  of  yours  I  had  discoverd 
the  Blunder  with  regard  to  My  Letter'  it  is  transmitted 
to  you  by  this  Post.  Davie's^  Letter  was  a  noble  pre- 
sent indeed,  pray  can  you  conceive  what  he  means  by 
the  necessity  he  now  supposes  me  under  of  growing 
speedily  rich,  if  one  could  suspect  so  grave  sententious 
and  respectable  a  Character  of  the  Vice  of  Punning 
I  should  imagine  his  insinuation  to  be  that  now  I  have 
but  one  leg  it  wont  be  so  easy  for  me  to  run  out,  but 
here  perhaps  like  Warburton  on  Shakespear  I  have 
found  out  a  meaning  the  Author  never  had.'^ 

I  was  ever  of  opinion  that  you  would  find  the  Bath 
Waters  a  Specific.  Sir  Francis  Delaval  and  Lady  Deb 

1  Probably  sent  to  another  correspondent,  for  Foote  as  a  postscript 
to  his  letter  to  Garrick  of  February  26  complained  :  "  I  fancy  my  man 
has  made  a  horrid  blunder,  by  inclosing  to  you  a  letter  for  Mr.  Hol- 
land." Boaden,  i,  222. 

2  Thomas  Davies,  the  publisher  and,  later,  the  biographer  of  Gar- 
rick. 

3  Bishop  Warburton's  edition  of  Shakespeare  appeared  in  1747. 
"  His  emendations  were  generally  marked  by  audacious  and  gratuitous 
quibbling." 


26  LETTERS  OF 

Stanhope '  are  particularly  happy  that  you  have  Chosen 
this  time,  for  say  they  Cannon  park  is  between  the  two 
Roads  to  Bath,  Andover,  and  Newberry,  to  Bagshot 
Basing  Stoke  Overton  then  four  Miles  to  Cannon  Park 
where  you  dine  and  lye  then  six  Miles  to  Newberry  * 
and  so  on  I  wont  tell  you  what  my  Wishes  are  upon  this 
Occasion  nor  indeed  anybody  here,  for  ever  since  I  have 
been  ill  they  have  refusd  Me  every  one  thing  that  I 
have  lik'd,  I  thank  you  for  your  Comedy^  Lady  Stan- 
hope has  seen  it  and  is  Charmd,  but  I  am  determind 
not  to  look  at  a  line,  till  I  am  quite  out  of  Pain. 

You  will  have  this  Letter  by  Cap*  Millbank  who  is 
calld  to  Town  by  an  Appointment  in  Pye's  Squadron ** 
for  the  West  Indies,  I  think  I  am  something  better  than 
when  I  WTote  you  my  last  tho  I  have  not  been  free  from 
Pain  one  minute  since  my  Cruel  Misfortune,  nor  slept 
a  Wink  without  the  Assistance  of  Laudanum,  the  Peo- 
ple below  expect  to  see  you  on  Wednesday  —  you 
must  allow  ^°'  and  indeed  allmost  decypher  my  Letters, 


1  Sister  of  Sir  Francis  Delaval. 

2  From  the  map  it  would  seem  that  Foote  gives,  confusingly, 
directions  as  to  the  road  to  Cannon  Park,  meaning  :  the  two  roads  to 
Bath  were  via  Andover  and  via  Newberry ;  Garrick  was  to  come  by  way 
of  Bagshot,  Basingstoke,  and  Overton  (the  Andover  road) ;  must  turn 
off  at  Overton  to  Cannon  Park ;  and  after  his  visit  should  strike  up  to 
the  other  road  via  Newberry. 

3  T^e  Clandestine  Marriage^  Colman  and  Garrick. 

4  Sir  Thomas  Pye  was  made  vice-admiral  of  the  blue  squadron  in 
1762.  From  1 766-1 769  he  was  commander-in-chief  of  the  Leeward 
Islands. 


DAVID  GARRICK  27 

but  then  consider  my  Dear  Sir  thirty  days  upon  my 

Back:  &c  &c  &c.  I  assure  ^T  it  is  with  great  difficulty, 

and  many  shifts  I  am  obliged  to  make  to  be  able  to 

scribble  at  all.  little  Derrick'  will  give  the  Etiquet  of 

the  Bath,  and  be  exceedingly  useful.  ...  I  am  quite 

exhausted,  God  Bless  you  Sir 

Sam'-''-  Foote 
Cannon  Park,  Mar  2^ 

Between  September,  1763,  and  April,  1765,  Garrick 
was  on  the  Continent,  where,  especially  in  Paris,  his 
reception  was  a  triumph.  "Actors,  dramatists,  artists, 
were  all  carried  away  by  his  vivacity  and  charm.  A 
record  of  his  friends  is  a  mere  list  of  the  celebrities  of 
Paris."  What  is  more  remarkable  is  that  later  Garrick, 
even  in  his  very  busy  life,  managed  to  keep  up  many 
of  the  friendships  made  at  this  time,  writing  in  fluent, 
if  not  always  perfect,  French  to  his  friends.  Among 
these  friends  was  Preville,  of  the  Theatre  Francais,  of 
whom  Garrick  wrote  from  Paris  in  1765  with  almost 
unqualified  enthusiasm.  "  He  is  rather  a  little  man  but 
well  made;  of  a  fair  complexion,  and  looks  remarkably 
neat  upon  the  stage.  .  .  .  His  face  is  very  round,  and  his 
features  when  unanimated  by  his  vis  comica,  have  no 
marks  of  drollery.  He  is,  though  one  of  the  most  spirited 
comedians  I  ever  saw,  bt/  nature  of  a  grave  cast  of  mind; 


I  Samuel  Derrick,  from  1761  to  1768  master  of  ceremonies  at  Bath. 
He  filled  a  like  position  at  Tunbridge  Wells. 


28  LETTERS  OF 

and  .  .  .  he  is  a  man  of  parts  independent  of  the  stage, 
and  understands  his  profession  thoroughly.  ...  It  is 
no  small  honour  to  Preville  to  say  that  he  is  always  out 
of  his  sphere  when  he  is  out  of  nature.  However,  play 
what  he  will,  he  has  such  a  peculiar  pleasantry,  that  it 
must  be  agreeable  to  the  generality  of  spectators.  No 
comedian  ever  had  a  more  happy  manner  in  saying 
little  things,  but  made  capital  by  his  comic  power  and 
excellence  in  pantomime  —  his  genius  never  appears 
more  to  advantage,  than  when  the  author  leaves  him  to 
shift  for  himself;  it  is  then  Preville  supplies  the  poet's 
deficiencies,  and  will  throw  a  truth  and  brilliancy  into 
his  character,  which  the  author  never  imagined.  In 
short,  he  is  not  what  may  be  called  a  mere  local  actor, 
whose  talents  can  only  give  pleasure  at  Paris ;  his  comic 
powers  are  felt  equally  by  Frenchmen  and  strangers:  and 
as  there  are  particular  virtues  which  constitute  a  man 
a  citizen  of  the  world,  so  there  are  comic  talents,  such 
as  those  of  Preville,  which  make  him  a  comedian  of  the 
world.'"  The  incident  referred  to  by  Garrick  in  the 
opening  paragraph  has  often  been  told  to  illustrate  his 
care  for  detail:  "Returning  on  horseback  with  Preville 
from  the  Bois  de  Boulogne,  Garrick  said:  '  Let  us  both 
imitate  drunkenness.'  This  was  done  while  passing 
through  the  village  of  Passy.  Not  a  word  was  spoken, 
but  the  village  emptied  itself,  to  see  two  intoxicated 

I  Private  Correspondence^  Boaden,  i,  187-88. 


DAVID  GARRICK  29 

cavaliers.  Young  folk  derided  them,  women  cried  out 
for  fear  they  would  fall  from  their  horses,  and  old  men 
shrugged  their  shoulders  in  pity,  or  burst  into  laughter, 
according  to  their  temperaments. 

'"How  have  I  acquitted  myself,  O  Master?'  said 
Preville,  as  they  issued  from  the  village.  '  Well,  very 
well,'  said  Garrick;  'but  you  were  not  drunk  in  your 
legs."" 

Londres  Janvier  7^-1775 

Ne  m'avez  vous  pas  oublie  cher  Compagnon  en 
ivresse?  n'avez  vous  pas  oublie  nos  expeditions  roman- 
esques  sur  les  boulevars,  quand  les  tailleurs  de  pierre 
devenoint  plus  pierre  que  leurs  ouvrages  En  admiration 
de  nos  folies? — si  je  suis  Encore  Assez  heureux  d' avoir 
une  place  dans  votre  memoire  permettez  moi  de  vous 
recommander  le  fils  de  mon  Ami  particulier,  pour  avoir 
le  plaisir  de  voir  le  grand  favori  de  Theatre  dans  son 
propre  Caractere. 

Aije  assez  d'interest  avec  vous,  de  vous  soliciter  pour 
votre  permission  et  amitie  de  vous  voir  tems  en  tems  sur 
le  theatre?  —  si  en  retour,  vous  voulez  m'envoyez  une 
demi  douzaine  de  vos  amis  les  portes  de  teatre  royal  de 
Drury  Lane,  et  de  ma  maison  seront  aussi  ouverts  que 
mes  bras  de  les  recevoir — faites  mille  et  mille  compli- 
mens  a  Madame  votre  femme  de  la  part  de  Mad- 

I  David  Garrick,  J.  Knight,  213. 


30  LETTERS  OF 

Garrick  et  de  son  Mari — je  suis  avec  le  plus  grande 
consideration  pour  vos  talens  rares,  et  vraiment  drama- 
tiques 

votre  tres  humble 
Excusez  je  vous  prie         Serviteur  et  ami 
que  jaye  envoye  mes  regards  D.  Garrick. 

(et  services)  dans  le  plus  mauvais  francais. 

Hannah  More  once  said  of  Garrick:  "I  suppose  he 
had  more  what  we  may  call  particular  friends  than  any 
man  in  England."  One  of  the  perfect  friendships  to 
which  Garrick  could  look  back  as  his  life  closed  was 
that  of  thirty  years  with  the  Rev.  John  Hoadley.  A 
group  of  six  letters  by  Garrick  to  Hoadley  in  the  Leigh 
Collection  show  that  in  1 746  it  was  still  in  the  stage  of 
"Dear  Sir"  at  the  beginning  of  the  letters.  Four  of 
these  six  letters  antedate  the  first  of  many  letters  by  Dr. 
Hoadley  printed  in  Boaden,  and  all  are  of  interest. 
John  Hoadley  and  Benjamin  were  sons  of  Bishop  Hoad- 
ley, the  famous  controversialist,  who  is  more  than  once 
mentioned  in  the  letters  as  "The  Bishop."  Both  the 
sons  had  a  strong  liking  for  the  stage.  Benjamin's  The 
Suspicious  Husband  is  often  ranked  with  Gibber's  Pro- 
voked Husband^  Colman  and  Garrick 's  Clandestine  Mar- 
riage, Goldsmith's  She  Stoops  to  Conquer,  and  Sheridan's 
School  for  Scandal,  as  the  five  significant  comedies  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  John's  fondness  for  things  theatri- 
cal lasted  with  his  life,  and  his  letters  are  always  full  of 


I 


r 


t- 


c 


-/5 


/ 


C^cf-  c,,    ,j//^^ 


:J'''  ■"  d!k 


I-/  I      / 


DAVID  GARRICK  31 

suggestions  for  new  plays  or  adaptations  of  old  ones. 
It  is  said,  so  great  was  his  fondness  for  plays,  that  no 
visitors  could  be  long  in  his  house  without  an  urgent 
request  to  act  in  something.  When  Sir  Walter  Scott 
applied  the  name  Rigdum  Funnidos,  a  courtier  in  Henry 
Carey's  farce  Crononlwtonihologos^  to  Ballantyne  the 
publisher,  he  described  him  as  ''a  quick,  active,  in- 
trepid little  fellow,  full  of  fun,  merriment  all  over,  and 
humorous  mimicry."  Garrick  had  evidently  much  the 
same  picture  in  mind  in  applying  the  name,  in  the  first 
of  the  following  letters,  to  John  Hoadley,  for  his  letters 
to  Garrick  show  that  the  description  fitted  him.  The 
delightful  combination  in  him  of  hard  sense  and  senti- 
ment is  admirably  shown  by  the  following  from  his  last 
letter  to  the  actor,  dated  February  22,  1776.  "I  hear 
the  Poet  Laureate  [Whitehead]  has  lately  offered  you 
a  comedy,  which  you  refused.  I  suppose,  duller  as  he 
grows  older.  I  hear  it  had  great  merit,  but  you  did  not 
care  to  hazard  it ;  particularly  objecting  to  a  character 
as  unnatural,  of  a  man  who  marries  for  love,  and  after- 
ward wants  to  get  rid  of  his  wife.  I  take  for  granted 
his  management  had  made  it  unnatural;  for  there  can- 
not be  a  character  more  in  nature  or  more  frequent.  It 
is  seldom  that  men  who  marry  for  love  have  much  more 
in  their  eye  than  the  person  of  the  lady,  which  is  not 
foundation  strong  enough  for  a  very  lasting  superstruc- 
ture— or  the  opposition  he  meets  with  commonly  from 
parents,  etc.  makes  him  more  obstinate  and  resolved 


32  LETTERS  OF 

to  carry  on  the  siege — or,  etc.  You  will  say  I  write  this 
w^ith  no  very  good  grace  when  I  tell  you,  yesterday 
(Ash Wednesday  poor  Ben's^birth-day  too)  we  two  poor 
souls  had  been  married  forty  years,  and  agreed  we 
would  do  the  same  the  next  morning.  And  yet  I  think 
I  married  for  love,  as  I  never  heard  of  fortune's  being 
concerned  in  the  matter."'  Hoadley  died  some  three 
weeks  later,  on  the  sixteenth  of  March. 

Year  in,  year  out,  he  watched  with  affectionate  inter- 
est Garrick's  career,  sending  him  cordial,  intimate  let- 
ters constantly.  Not  even  unfavorable  comment  on  his 
plays,  the  rock  on  which  many  a  pleasant  relationship 
for  Garrick  split,  made  him  waver  for  an  instant  in  his 
loyalty.  The  first  of  their  letters  in  the  Leigh  Collection 
shows  Garrick  in  boyishly  exuberant  anticipation  of 
a  visit  to  the  country  home  of  Hoadley,  at  Alresford, 
Hampshire.  From  the  succeeding  two  letters,  dated  in 
1 746  and  referring  to  the  visit  as  just  past,  the  first 
clearly  belongs  to  1746. 

Dear  Sm, 

I  receiv'd  y*;  Wellcome  &  Letter  with  y^  Plea- 
sure Every  thing  from  you  will  allways  give  Me — 

Your  Invitation  to  Old  Alresford  I  most  cordially 
Accept  of,  &  the  litde-ingenious  Garrick^  with  the 
ingenious  litde  Hogarth^  will  take  the  opportunity  of  the 

I  Private  Correspondence^  Boaden,  ii,  139. 


DAVID  GARRICK  33 

plump  Doctor's'  being  with  you,  to  get  upon  a  Horse- 
block, mount  a  pair  of  Quadrupeds  (or  One  if  it  carries 
double)  &  hie  away  to  the  Rev'd  Rigdum  Funnidos  at 
y^  Aforesaid  Old  Alresford,  there  to  be  as  Merry,  face- 
tious Mad  &  Nonsensical,  as  Liberty,  Property  &  Old 
October  can  make  'Em !  huzza !  I  shall  settle  the  whole 
Affair  with  y'".  Brother  tomorrow  &  shall  wait  his  Mo- 
tions: I  am  in  raptures  at  the  Party!  huzza  again 
Boys !  shan't  I  come  with  my  Doctor?  Yes;  he  gives 
me  the  potions  &  the  Motions ?  Shall  I  loose  my  Priest? 
my  Sir  John  ?  no,  he  gives  me  the  proverbs  &  the  No 
verbs.*  My  cares  are  over,  &  I  must  laugh  with  you: 
your  French  Cook  is  safe  &  sound  &  shall  come  with 
Me;  but  pray  let  us  have  no  Kickshaws.  Nothing  but 
laugh  &  plumb  pudding  for 

Y^  Sincere  Friend 

&  Merry  humble  Servant 

D.  Garrick. 

from  the  Barber's  Shop^ 

up  two  pair  of  stairs  this  —  Day  of  July 

I  am  oblig'd  to  you  for  y'  Wishes 

&  prayers,  but  pray  let  us 

have  some  Beef  &  pudding  when  we  come  to  see  you. 


1  Dr.  Benjamin  Hoadley. 

2  Garrick  is  paraphrasing  the  Host  in  The  Merry  Wives,  in,  i. 

3  The  periwig-maker's  shop  in  James  Street,  Covent  Garden,  where 
Garrick  lodged. 


34  LETTERS  OF 

Dear  Sir. 

Give  me  leave  (tho  late)  to  return  you  my 
Thanks  for  y'.  most  Elegant  &  Friendly  Reception  of 
me  at  Alresford;  I  could  likewise  say  much  to  M" 
Hoadley  up  on  y^  same  Occasion,  but  I  am  sure  she 
hates  Ceremony,  &  would  rather  choose  I  should  hold 
my  Tongue  than  make  Speeches;  however,  this  let  me 
say,  I  never  was  happier  in  My  Life  or  so  desirous  to 
continue  so,  but  the  Time  may  come  again  &  then — 
oh  ye  Gods!  Raganjaw'  meets  with  Universal  Ap- 
plause among  my  Friends ;  I  have  dedicated  it  to  my 
Friend  Windham*  (the  Prince  of  Blackguards)  Y^  De- 
dication is  Short  &  you  shall  see  it  at  our  next  Meeting 
— What  are  you  about?  I  was  thinking  if  George 
Barnwell  was  alter'd  in  some  places  &  the  Scene  you 
mention'd  introduced  I  could  make  some  figure  in  that 
Character;  what  think  you  Sir?  could  you  amuse  y'self 
that  way,  or  spend  y""  Time  better  upon  another  Plan? 
I  beg  you  would  invoke  y'.  Tragic  Muse,  &  bring  the 
produce  of  your  Amour  in  y^  Pocket  —  don't  dare  to 
look  me  in  y^  face  without  a  Couple  of  Acts  at  least,  & 
keep  it  a  secret  from  Every  body  but  Myself:  Oh  we 
will  brood  o'er  it  at  my  Lodgings  &  lay  our  heads  to- 
gether! I  had  y^  Pleasure  of  y^  Doctor's  Company  to 

1  Apparently  not  extant. 

2  Sir  Charles  Wyndham,  second  Earl  of  Egremont,  a  man  of  inor- 
dinate pride.  Walpole  declared  him  unable  to  tell  the  truth. 


DAVID  GARRICK  35 

supper  at  My  Lodgings  the  Night  before  I  set  out  for 
this  Place;  we  talk'd  about  Ranger/ but  whether  he  will 
appear  next  Winter  or  Sleep  for  ever  in  y^  Scritoire/  is 
not  yet  determin'd:  tis  pity  faith — I  am  drinking  the 
Waters  ^^"^^  as  an  Anti-Scorbutick — the  Place  is  very 
dull,  &  I  shall  return  soon  to  Town :  When  are  we  to 
see  you  there?  leave  y'  Sermons  at  Home  &  think  of 
Me.  I  am  studying  Veranes  in  Theodosius,  there  is 
something  very  moving  in  y^  Character,  but  such  a 
Mixture  of  Madness  &  Absurdity  was  never  Serv'd 
up,  upon  y^  Stage  before,  except  by  y^  same  incom- 
prehensible Nat  Lee:  I  have  been  looking  into  Phi- 
laster  or  Love  lies  a  Bleeding ;  there  is  good  stuff;  but 
y^  Intrigue  between  Megra  h  Pharamond,  upon  w*:^ 
y^  Whole  turns,  is  very  indecent  &  requires  great  alter- 
ations— 

But  more  of  these  things  when  I  see  you  in  y^  mean 
[time]  with  my  best  Compliments  to  M*"?  Hoadly 
I  am 

Most  Sincerely 
Y^  very  humb^ 

Servant 
Aug^.^  19.  1746.  D.  Garrick — 


1  The  chief  character  in  Dr.  Benjamin  Hoadley's  T/ie  Suspicious 
Husband,  first  produced  in  i747' 

2  MS.  nearly  illegible. 

3  Cheltenham,  as  the  next  letter  shows. 


S6  LETTERS  OF 

Newberry  Sept.  if.  14^^  1746. 
Dear  Sm 

I  am  sorry  My  inadvertency'  caus'd  you  so 
much  trouble  to  find  out  where  I  was ;  but  you  see  I 
have  mended  that  fault  in  this  &  will  endeavour  for  the 
future  to  give  you  the  Place  where,  &  Time  When — I 
expect  to  return  to  London  in  a  few  Days,  &  then  I  will 
send  you  my  opinion  of  the  Story  of  Edgar  ^  &:  what 
Intelligence  I  can  get  about  Aaron  Hill's  Performance:  ^ 
I  am  glad  to  hear  you  have  dock'd  &  alter 'd  Cymbe- 
line"^  &  beg  you  will  send  it  up  immediately  directed  for 
Me,  at  my  Lodgings  in  James  Street  Cov!  Garden;  You 
will  give  me  great  Pleasure  &  may  do  me  Service  by 
it;  so  I  shall  forbear  to  urge  any  Stronger  Arguments 
in  my  favour — what  Character  have  you  fix'd  for  Me 
iny'  Mind?  pray  let  me  know  when  you  send  it — I 

shall  take  care  to  send  you  y^  Dedication ; 1  am 

come  to  this  Place,  (viz.  Newberry)  from  Cheltenham, 
where  I  have  been  drinking  the  Waters  for  my  Health; 
you  know  their  Quality  I  suppose,  &  by  that,  may  guess 
that  y^  Friend  is  a  Scurvy  fellow  !  I  have  certainly  re- 
ceiv'd  a  great  deal  of  Pain  from  'em,  w*'.''  y^  Doctors 
call  Benefit,  &  if  a  Purgatory,  is  as  necessary  for  y^ 

1  See  the  absence  of  heading  in  the  last  letter. 

2  None  of  the  plays  on  King  Edgar  fit  this  date. 

3  Probably  Hill's  essay  on  acting,  first  published  in  1746. 

4  Not  carried  to  completion,  probably,  for  Garrick  did  not  produce 
Cymbeline  till  1761,  and  then  not  arranged  by  John  Hoadley. 


GARRICK  AS  RANGER 


0mw^' 


'  ''c'^P^f:Vfl,y  vt;V*?  •'I 


DAVID  GARRICK  37 

purification  of  y^  Body,  as  the  Soul,  I  am  thoroughly 
cleansed;  for  Job  had  not  More  Suffering  Nor  perhaps 
more  patience  than  I  had;  in  short  to  Explain  this  Mat- 
ter, you  must  Know  the  Waters  forc'd  out  several  Boils 
upon  Me,  &  yet  for  all  that,  I  was  never  in  better  Spirits 
or  more  nonsensical  in  my  Life,  allways  excepting  a 
those  never  to  be  forgotten  or  parall[eled]  Days  that 
were  Spent  at  O.  Alresford  in  the  Reign  of  RAGAND- 
JAW  in  the  Month  of  July  Anno  Dom  1 746;  — It  was  a 
Time,  take  it  for  all  in  all  &.c.  I  admire  y-  Imitation  of 
the  Post-mark,  &  think  if  you  would  Apply  to  the  More 
Exalted  Imitation  of  Shakespear  you  would  equally 
succeed;  what  I  say,  I  always  mean,  &  in  my  Opinion, 
you  have  A  better  Notion  of  Trage  [dy]  than  any  of 
your  Cotemporaries;  therefore  pray  send  for  some 
Stexv'd  Prunes  &  write  away  — I  have  a  Play '  now  with 
Me,  sent  to  me  by  My  Lord  Chesterfield  &  wrote  by 
one  Smollett,  it  is  a  Scotch  Story,  but  it  won't  do,  & 
yet  recommended  by  his  Lordship  &  patroniz'd  by 
Ladies  of  Quality:  what  can  I  say  or  do?  must  I  belye 
"i?"  Judgment  or  run  the  risque  of  being  thought  imper- 
tinent, &  disobliging  y^  great  Folks?  some  advice  upon 
that  Head  if  you  please. — 

I  am  greatly  oblig'd  to  You  for  lending  Me  Steel's 
Account  of  y^  Roman  Catholick  Religion;^  the  Dedica- 

1  The  Regicide. 

2  An  Account  of  the  State  of  the  Roman  CatJiolic  Religion  through- 
out the  World.   With  a  large  dedication  to  the  present  Pope  ...  by 


38  LETTERS  OF 

tion  to  the  Pope  is  indeed  a  Masterpiece,  h  I  have  been 
so  struck  with  it,  that  I  am  now  reading  Ms  Controver- 
s  [ial]  Writings :  do  you  think  the  B —  never  wrote  a 
Pi  [paper  torn]  has  Musick  in  his  Soul;  &tho  he  makes 
y*  best  [paper  torn]  in  Xdom,  he  would  have  made  y^ 
best  anything —  [torn]  he  had  pleas'd  to  turn  his  hand 
to ;  there  are  some  Chips  of  y^  Old  Block,  that  are  very 
pretty  Sticks  of  Wood  — 

I  have  been  lately  allarm'd  with  some  Encroachments 
of  my  Belly  upon  the  Line  of  Grace  &  Beauty  in  short 
I  am  growing  very  fat  &  unless  Shakespear  in  y^  Win- 
ter reduces  Me  to  my  primitive  insignificance,  I  shall 
produce  as  good  a  title  for  a  place  at  y^  Quarter  Sessions 
as  Y^.  Worship,  or  any  of  y'  Well-fed  Family — I  have 
lately  attended  the  Lectures  of  the  famous  M^^  Drum- 
mond  &  had  I  room  I  would  send  you  a  description  of 
her  Manner  &  Matter,  but  it  won't  be  worth  three- 
pence, so  I  shall  defer  it  to  a  better  Opportunity  &  make 
this  only  a  Single  Letter — I  assure  you  I  am  much  flat- 
ter'd  by  M'^  Hoadly's  good  opinion  of  Me,  &  I  don't 
know  whether  it  would  not  be  more  prudent  to  debar 
Myself  y^  Pleasure  of  seeing  her  again,  least  I  should 
loose  ground  by  a  second  Visit.  I  am  affraid  I  am  not 
of  the  Olive-kind  to  mend  upon  the  Palate,  however 


Sir  R.  Steele  [really  Bishop  Hoadley],  1715.    Therefore  this  refers 

to  the  Bishop's  numerous  controversial  writings,  and  "B "  is 

Bishop.  All  this  makes  clear  too  the  reference  in  "  Chips  of  ye  Old 
Block." 


DAVID  GARRICK  39 

such  as  I  am,  I  shall  be  ambitious  to  deserve  her  liking, 
Sc  will  be  very  carefull  to  preserve  it;  My  Utmost  En- 
deavours are  never  wanting,  when  my  Services  are  the 
Effects  of  my  Inclination. 

I  am  most  Sincerely  thine 

Cassiasse.^ 

— do  pray  write  to  me,  pray  now  do — 

What  Garrick  says  in  this  letter  of  Lord  Chesterfield 
and  of  Smollett's  play  The  Regicide  illustrates  one  of  the 
chief  embarrassments  in  his  managerial  life, — how  to 
deal  with  powerful  patrons  who  urged  on  his  attention 
the  works  of  unskilled  or  incompetent  playwrights. 
Smollett  was  so  angry  over  the  refusal  of  this  play  that 
in  Roderick  Random  (l748)  he  wrote  of  Garrick  under 
the  annoying  name  of  Marmozet,  ' '  a  celebrated  player, 
who  had  lately  appeared  on  the  stage  with  astonish- 
ing eclat,  and  bore  such  sway  in  the  house  where  he 
acted,  that  the  managers  durst  not  refuse  anything 
he  recommended.''  Smollett  devoted  some  pages  to 
details  of  the  duplicity  he  felt  characterized  Garrick 's 
refusal  of  his  play,  and  quoted  a  nobleman  as  saying 
''that  Marmozet  was  the  sole  occasion  of  my  disap- 

I  John  Hoadlej,  Garrick,  and  Hogarth  had  acted  together  a  parody 
on  the  scene  in  Julius  Ccesar  in  which  the  ghost  appears  to  Brutus, 
Hoadley  evidently  playing  Brutasse  (Brutus),  Garrick  Cassiasse 
(Cassius),  and  Hogarth  the  spectre.  See  Biog.  Dram.  1812  ed.  vol.  i, 
pt.  i,p.35i. 


40  LETTERS  OF 

pointment;  that  he  had  acted  from  first  to  last  with  the 
most  perfidious  dissimulation,  cajoling  me  with  insin- 
uating civilities,  while  he  underhand  employed  all  his 
art  and  influence  to  prejudice  the  ignorant  manager 
against  my  performance;  that  nothing  could  equal  his 
hypocrisy  but  his  avarice,  which  engrossed  the  facul- 
ties of  his  soul  so  much,  that  he  scrupled  not  to  be 
guilty  of  the  meanest  practices  to  gratify  that  sordid 
appetite.  ...  '  It  is  not,'  said  he,  '  for  the  qualities  of 
his  heart,  that  this  little  parasite  is  invited  to  the  tables 
of  dukes  and  lords,  who  hire  extraordinary  cooks  for 
his  entertainment.  His  avarice  they  see  not,  his  ingrati- 
tude they  feel  not,  his  hypocrisy  accommodates  itself  to 
their  humours,  and  is  of  consequence  pleasing;  but  he 
is  chiefly  courted  for  his  buffoonery,  and  will  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  choicest  parties  of  quality  for  his  talent 
of  mimicking  Punch  and  his  wife  Joan,  when  a  poet  of 
the  most  exquisite  genius  is  not  able  to  attract  the  least 
regard.'  '"  In  this  case,  however,  time  brought  Gar- 
rick  ample  amends  on  the  part  of  Smollett,  who,  deeply 
touched  by  the  manager's  generous  treatment  of  him 
in  regard  to  his  Reprisal^  or  the  Tars  of  England^  1757, 
wrote  him  frankly  of  "former  animosities — forgotten 
and  self-condemned,"  and  in  his  History  of  England, 
when  reviewing  the  social  progress  of  the  first  half  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  inserted  a  handsome  compli- 
ment to  Garrick. 

I  Roderick  RandoJii,  ch.  Lxiii. 


GARRICK  AS  TANCRED 


I 
I 


DAVID  GARRICK  41 

Though  the  next  letter  is  not  addressed  to  any  one 
and  bears  no  date,  the  references  to  St.  Mary's,  — the 
Southampton  homeof  Hoadley, — and  to  the  recent  re- 
turn from  Paris  and  small  changes  in  Garrick's  com- 
pany on  the  return,  prove  that  the  letter  is  to  John 
Hoadley  in  the  autumn  of  1752.  If  it  is  compared  with 
a  letter  to  him  just  after  Garrick's  return  from  his  sec- 
ond trip  to  the  Continent  in  1 765  (see  p.  1 16)  the  assign- 
ment will  be  strengthened. 

My  Dear  &  very  good  Friend 

I  thank  thee  most  heartily  for  thy  most  kind  h 
friendly  Letter — I  am  return'd  with  my  better  half  safe 
&  sound  from  Paris  &  as  true  an  Englishman  as  Ever 
— not  but  let  me  tell  thee,  (thou  reverend  son  of  a  — 
more  reverend  Father,)  I  am  much  very  much  pleas 'd 
with  my  Jaunt,  &  am  ready  &  willing  to  take  y"-  Same 
&  for  a  Month  longer,  whenever  Business  will  permit 
&  I  am  call'd  upon —  .  .  .  But  before  I  rattle  away  let 
me  seriously  thank  you,  for  your  good  offices  in  poor 
Brickenden's  affair.  You  have  acted  like  a  good  Soul 
by  Him,  &  like  a  true  Friend  by  Me  &  y^  Bishop  wisely 
&  justly  by  us  all — I  should  always  be  glad  to  see  any 
thing  such  a  Man  writes  but  don't  give  y''self  any  trou- 
ble upon  that  account — Brickenden  has  written  to  me 
a  Letter  of  thanks  &  tells  me,  he  has  fall'n  upon  y^ 
Greeks  ^  Rojjians^  resolv'd  to  Conquer  or  die. 

Thou   talks 't   like  I  sensible  Young   Man   about 


42  LETTERS  OF 

Stage  Plays  &c — I  have  y^  same  opinion  of  y^  Spanish 
Curate,  that  you  have;  but  as  we  have  try'd  y^  Comic 
part  of  it  lately,  we  must  not  venture  yet  to  revive  y^ 
Whole— 

I  shall  look  into  y^  farce'  Myself  &  see  where  I  think 
y^  Alteration  necessary,  I  have  quite  forgot  it,  &  shall 
be  better  able  to  judge  of  Its  weakness,  by  looking  at  it 
now — You  must  give  absolutely  another  Turn  to  Sf 
John  Gentry,  when  you  can  Spare  a  Week,  from 
gathering  y*"  Tythes  &  Shearing  y'  Sheep,  put  on  thy 
Burgeon^  &  the  black  Cap  with  a  litde  Tassel  &  feague 
it  away  ^ — could  I  call  at  S*  Maries  I  would,  there  are  no 
two  hearts  in  y^  Kingdom  would  more  willingly  knock 
at  thy  Door  than  ours,  pray  tell  this  to  y^  best  of  Wo- 
men &:  tack  our  Sincere  respects  at  y^  End  of  it  — 

Our  Forces  will  be  much  y^  Same  as  they  were  last 
Year,  with  a  small  addition  of  a  recruit  or  two,"^  who 
never  yet  appear' d  upon  any  Stage — food  for  Powder 
Hal! 

I  shant  say  any  thing  of  France  till  I  see  thee  &  then 
— perhaps  we  may  talk  of  Something  else — 

My  Woman  likes  You,  &  I  like  yours  &  so  we  send 


1  Perhaps  Hoadley's  Housekeeper^  rejected  for  Towneley's  Higk 
Life  beloiv  Stairs. 

2  "  Burgeon,"  MS.  poor. 

3  "  Feague,"  beat  or  whip.  Garrick  is  thinking  of  Tke  Rehearsal, 
Act  II,  Sc.  4,  11.  3-6. 

4  Miss  Houghton,  "an  actress  whose  promise  was  never  fulfilled," 
was  one  of  these. 


DAVID  GARRICK  43 

our  best  wishes  to  both,  &  y^  Sooner  I  hear  from  you, 
or  see  you  the  better  &,  so 
Yours  &  thine 

(thou  facetious  honest 

Soul!)  Sincerely  &  Affect^ 

D.  Garrick. 

The  last  letter  of  the  group,  though  unaddressed, 
from  its  contents  was  evidently  meant  for  John  Hoadley, 
for  it  chiefly  concerns  MSS.  of  Benjamin  Hoadley,  who 
had  died  in  August,  1757'.  The  important  part  of  it  is 
made  clearer  by  a  letter  of  John  Hoadley  dated  by 
Boaden  April  26,  im.' 

"My  good  sister  tells  me,  that  when  you  returned 
her  a  former  packet,  (of  the  Contrast,  &c.  of  poor 
Ben's)  you  accidentally  retained  another  piece  of  two 
acts:  one  act,  as  I  believe,  in  the  Doctor's  hand,  and 
the  second  in  mine,  foolishly  supplied  by  me.  The 
Country  Burial  it  was,  altered  by  Ben."*  .  .  .  You 
wiU  be  so  kind  as  to  look  over  your  old  stores,  and  if 
her  surmise  be  true,  to  return  it  to  her.  You  may  per- 
haps find  things  of  mine,  as  the  Beggar^s  Garland, 
all  in  songs,  which  you  took  from  me  at  Bath;  and  the 
story  of  the  Sea  Captain's  discourse  with  the  Doctor  of 
Divinity,  about  giving  his  black  boy  Frank  Christian 
burial,  in  a  letter;  which  you  promised  to  return  but 

1  Private  Correspondence^  Boaden,  ii,  421. 

2  Originally  by  George  Lillo. 


44  LETTERS  OF 

forgot  it  again.  Madam  Charles  Street  has  in  many 
things  shown  herself  so  mercenary,  that  I  cannot  help 
thinking  she  would  be  glad  to  pocket  a  little  money  by 
any  of  the  doctor's  even  little  things,  after  I  shall  be 
gone — to  Heaven.  I  have  taken  good  care  that  nothing 
of  mine  shall  ever  appear,  and  nothing  where  I  have 
been  concerned ;  but  she  seems  to  have  a  mind  to  claim 
a  property  in  things  of  that  sort,  as  the  Contrast^ 
the  JFidow  of  the  Mill,  the  Country  Burial, — and  I 
think  that  must  be  with  some  such  view. — Mum! 
Budget! 

"I  dare  say  you  will  continue  to  be,  as  you  have 
truly  shown  yourself  already,  an  honest  guardian  of  his 
fame  as  long  as  you  live." 

This,  Garrick's  answer,  makes  clear  certain  pass- 
ages in  a  letter  of  Hoadley's  of  September  1,  1771, 
printed  by  Boaden.' 

Hampton  May 

9^^  1771 
My  dear  Friend. 

As  I  was  deaf.  Gouty,  flatulent,  dull  &c  &c  &c 
in  London,  I  chose  to  defer  answer?  your  very  kind 
letter,  till  I  returned  to  Hampton  &  rigdum  funnidos: 
I  was  operated  upon  this  Morning  for  a  Noise  in  my 
head,  it  has  had  a  surprising  Effect,  for  my  disorder  is 
gone,  &  my  Spirits  are  return'd — Ergo,  I  sit  down  to 

I  Private  Correspondence,  Boaden,  ii,  433. 


DAVID  GARRICK  45 

gallop  over  a  few  pages  of  Nonsense  to  Thee,  my  dear 
D"-,  who  art  y^  Genius  of  Mirth  &  good  fellowship  — 
so  have  at  Thee  old  Boy: 

1  have  been  really  blighted  with  y^  Spring,  &  till  the 
Warm  Weather  came  to  make  me  bud  a  little  with  y^ 
trees,  I  was  resolv'd  to  send  no  cold-blooded  prosing  to 
Thee  my  Merry  Wag  of  ten  thousand !  I  am  tight  in 
my  Limbs,  better  in  my  head,  &  my  belly  is  as  big  as 
Ever  —  I  cannot  quit  Peck  £sf  Booze. — what's  Life 
without  sack  and  sugar !  my  lips  were  made  to  be  lick'd, 
&  if  the  Devil  appears  to  me  in  the  Shape  of  Turbot  & 
Claret,  my  Crutches  are  forgot,  &  I  laugh  &  Eat  .  .  . 
a  D'^  Cadogan  has  written  a  pamphlet  lately  upon  y* 
Gout,  it  is  much  admir'd  &  has  certainly  It's  merit — I 
was  frightened  w'.*"  it  for  a  Week;  but  as  Sin  will  out- 
pull  repentance  when  there  are  passions  h.  palates,  I 
have  postponed  the  D*^'^  Regimen  till  my  wife  &  I  are 
tete  a  tete,  &  so  make  y*"  Mortification  as  compleat,  as 
her  father  Confessor  would  prescribe  to  her  in  Lent —  I 
rejoice  that  you  wept  at  y  West  Indian '  — there  is  great 
Merit,  &  for  y^  faults,  he  shall  mend  'Em  in  his  next 
play,  which  he  certainly  will  do,  if  he  goes  on  improv- 
ing as  he  did  from  y^  Brothers  (his  first  play)  to  his  last, 
the  West  Indian:  I  shall  tell  him  of  y^  Criticisms  &  I'm 
sure  he  will  profit  by  them:  Our  Friend  Keate^  is  very 

1  Written  by  Richard  Cumberland. 

2  George  Keate,  poet,  naturalist,  antiquary,  artist.  He  adapted  Vol- 
taire's Semiramis  for  the  English  stage,  but  it  was  never  performed. 


46  LETTERS  OF 

proud  of  his  Manhood;  &  Struts  before  Me  as  a  Game 
Cock  before  a  Capon — I  lower  my  flag  to  him,  &  tho  I 
can  not  hate  him  for  his  fecundity  I  do  envy  him  a  little 
— hut  poor  Double'' s  dead — how  are  score  of  Sheep  with 
ymiV  Keate  (y^  devil  take  him)  is  still  harping  upon 
Semiramis — he  hints  that  alterations  are  made —  Your 
hints ,  I  suppose ,  of  making  the  Language  more  poetical 
^^^\  — that  is,  more  inflated  —  &  so  to  mend  y^  Matter,  the 
poor  Consumptive,  feeble  Brimstone  is  to  have  a  com- 
plication of  disorders,  &  die,  &be  damn'd  with  a  dropsy 
— here^s  Jine  revolution! — now  to  be  serious,  &  very 
serious  for  y^  Cause  demands  it,  &  from  us,  my  dear 
friend,  in  a  more  particular  manner;  I  mean  the  reputa- 
tion of  our  dear  Brother,  &  beloved  Friend  the  Doctor 
— I  would  not  for  all  our  Sakes  &  for  his  Memory, 
that  any  thing  unworthy  of  him  should  be  expos'd,  let 
who  will  be  y^  gainer ;  Madam  Charles  Street  would  be 
MadA  damnable  of  thrift-street  if  she,  without  a  proper 
feeling  of  his  Worth,  would  barter  his  fame  for  a  few 
Counters,  yor  so  much  trash  as  may  he  grasped  thus?  I 
cannot  bear  the  thought  of  it,  &  I  here  promise  ?  vow- 
to  keep  the  garland,  which  so  justly  has  surrounded  his 
dear  honour 'd  head,  &  in  y^  placing  of  which  I  assisted 
w*  my  little  finger,  from  any  blights  of  Envy,  or  Ava- 
Ha — lay  thy  hand,  my  Worthy  old  friend,  upon  thy 
honest  heart,  &  swear  y^  same — my  Eyes  are  full  of 

1  Garrick  paraphrases  Shallow  in  Henry  IV,  Pt.  2,  Act  iii,  Sc.  2. 


GARRICK  IN  1 75 1 


oH^-^r';/ 


DAVID  GARRICK  47 

Water,  while  I  write  to  you,  but  this  is  not  y^  token  of 
Weakness,  but  resolution — now  to  y""  Matter — I  re- 
turn'd  Every  paper  I  receiv'd  from  M"  Hoadley  to  her 
again;  the  Country  Burial  among  y^  rest,  which  if  I 
remember  right,  she  wanted  to  shew  to  somebody.  I 
must  desire  that  this  Matter  be  immediatly  clear'd  that 
we  may  have  no  Mistakes — if  She  still  persists  that  I 
have  it,  I  will  begin  a  Search  that  will  end  in  Nothing, 
but  what  I  have  said  before ;  indeed  (my  dear  friend) 
you  should  stir  a  little  in  this  business,  have  not  you  an 
undoubted  right,  to  be  consulted  in  these  things  you  so 
well  understand,  Sst  She  so  little? 

If  the  Contrast  could  be  made  an  Entertainm*  for  y^ 
Stage  I'll  purchase  it,  &  bring  it  upon  y^  Stage  w*!"  all 
my  heart,  or  give  y^  usual  benefits — but  let  us  consult 
togeather,  get  y^  Stuff  into  yo?/r  hands,  &  let  his  Friends 
determine. 

I  have  sent  you  some  of  y®  things  you  mention,  w*^.*" 
were  here — the  Beggar^  s  Garland  is  in  London — that 
shall  be  with  you  soon  too — I  am  vex'd  about  y^  Coun- 
try Burial,  but,  I  will  begin  my  Search ;  in  y^  mean  time 
pray  write  to  her  &  me. 

Your  Ever  affectionate 

D.  Garrick. 

Love  from  me  &  mine  to  you  &  yrs 

I  By  the  two  brothers.  First  acted  at  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  April  30, 
1731.  Unsuccessful  and  never  printed.  By  Bishop  Hoadley's  desire  it 
was  suppressed. 


48  LETTERS  OF 

Some  of  Garrick's  best  friends,  especially  in  his  later 
days,  were  women.  Lady  Spencer,  Mrs.  Montague, 
Mrs.  Clive,  Miss  Cadogan,  as  letters  to  follow  make 
clear  for  the  first  time,  and  Hannah  More,  were  in  dif- 
ferent ways  tried  friends.  There  are  two  letters  to  Miss 
More  in  the  Leigh  Collection. 

On  a  visit  to  London,  circa  1774,  Hannah  More 
writes  to  a  friend:  Garrick  is  "not  well  enough  to  play 
or  see  company — how  mortifying!  He  has  been  at 
Hampton  for  a  week.  If  he  does  not  get  well  enough 
to  act  soon,  I  shall  break  my  heart."'  Very  shortly 
after  this  Miss  More  not  only  saw  Garrick  act  but  met 
him.  He  had  seen  a  letter  from  her  to  a  common  friend, 
describing  the  effect  upon  her  of  his  Lear^  which  made 
him  eager  to  meet  her.  They  were  promptly  brought 
together.  Discovering  mutual  attractiveness  they  be- 
gan a  lasting  friendship  in  which  Mrs.  Garrick  joined 
heartily.  Each  year  Miss  More  visited  the  Garricks, 
meeting  through  them  many  of  the  notabilities  of  the 
day,  and  discussing  with  Garrick  her  verse  and  her 
plays.  Of  the  last,  her  correspondence  shows  that 
Percy  and  the  Fatal  Friendship  owed  much  to  sugges- 
tions of  Garrick.  Indeed  she  says  herself  in  regard  to 
Percy:  "It  is  impossible  to  tell  you  of  all  the  kindness 
and  friendship  of  the  Garricks;  he  thinks  of  nothing, 
talks  of  nothing,  writes  of  nothing  but  Percy.   .  .   . 

I  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More,  Roberts,  ed.  1836,  i,  32. 


DAVID  GARRICK  49 

When  Garrick  had  finished  his  prologue  and  epilogue 
(which  are  excellent),  he  desired  I  would  pay  him. 
Dryden,  he  said,  used  to  have  five  guineas  apiece,  but 
as  he  was  a  richer  man  he  would  be  content  if  I  would 
treat  him  with  a  handsome  supper  and  a  bottle  of  claret. 
We  haggled  sadly  about  the  price,  I  insisting  that  I 
could  only  afford  to  give  him  a  beefsteak  and  a  pot  of 
porter;  and  at  about  twelve  we  sat  down  to  some  toast 
and  honey,  with  which  the  temperate  bard  contented 
himself.'"  Some  words  in  Garrick 's  hand  on  a  letter 
of  Miss  More's,  "Miss  More  alias  the  Nine,"  explain 
the  name  heading  the  next  letter. 

My  dearest  Nine. 

Ingratitude  is  the  Devil  my  dear — said  some 
Gentleman  to  his  Lady  upon  receiving  no  thanks  for  a 
basket  fuU  of  dainties  —  We  have  receiv'd  a  Hamper 
full,  &  no  kind  of  Acknowledgments  to  our  dear  Friend 
at  Bristol — the  Pork  was  Excellent  &  so  was  y^  Liquor 
we  drunk  your  health  in — no  Matter  for  that — where 
is  y^  Letter  say  You,  of  y^  real  Correspondence — ? — I 
should  have  written  a  dozen  before  this,  for  I  like  y^ 
business,  but  I  have  not  had  a  Moment  to  Myself — 
before  this  Week  is  out,  you  shall  receive  some  Non- 
sense, &  which  I  beg  you  will  put  into  y^  fire,  if  you 
find  it,  as  I  fear  you  will,  very  unfit  Company  for  his 
female  Companion. 

1  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More,  i,  76. 


50  LETTERS  OF 

Madam  sends  her  love,  she  has  been  much  troubled 
with  a  bleeding  at  the  Nose,  &  a  frequent  head-Ach, 
She  Eats  &  Sleeps  &  grows  as  fat  as  bouncing  Bess  of 
Brentford — 

We  have  had  great  uneasiness  at  the  Death  of  poor 

M'.^  Thursby,  My  Eldest  Niece  is  married  to  Capt" 

Shaw,'  my  Nephew  David  will  soon  be  married  to  Miss 

Hart,  &  I  am  to  pay  the  Piper — May  all  of  your  family 

that  want  husbands,  get  as  good  ones,  as  this  Country 

affords,  &  I'll  answer.  Whoe'er  the  happy  Men  are, 

that  they  will  get  good  Wives,  &  that  is  a  bold  word, 

as  times  go  —  Love  to  all  —  in  great  hurry — Ever 

Yours  Most  Affectionately 

Hannah  of  all  Hannahs 

D.  Garrick 
Ma?/ 9^^  177S.'        -> 

Two  letters  to  Mme.  Riccoboni  in  the  Leigh  Collec- 
tion fill  important  gaps  in  the  correspondence  of  this 
Frenchwoman  printed  in  Boaden,  and  the  whole  cor- 
respondence throws  light  on  the  interrelations  in  the 
eighteenth  century  of  the  sentimental  comedy  of  Eng- 
land and  the  drame  larmoyante  of  France.  Marie  Jeanne 
Laboras  de  Mezieres,  born  in  1717,  became  the  wife  of 

1  Arabella,  eldest  niece  of  Garrick,  married  Frederick  Brydges 
Schaw.  This  roughly  supplies  the  date  of  this  marriage,  not  given  in 
the  Garrick  genealogy  prefixed  by  Fitzgerald  to  vol.  ii  of  his  David 
Garrick. 

2  The  second  letter  is  printed  on  p.  103. 


GARRICK  AND  HIS  WIFE 


DAVID  GARRICK  si 

Antoine  Francois  Riccoboni,  best  known  for  his  His- 
toire  du  Theatre.  She  is  described  as  "beautiful,  tall, 
with  a  well-made  figure,  black  eyes,  at  once  soft  and 
expressive,  and  a  countenance  open  and  gay:  her  intel- 
ligence flashed  out  constantly  in  her  conversation ;  and 
many  graceful  repartees  by  her  were  passed  about." 
Her  romance,  Lettres  de  la  Comtesse  de  Sancerre^  1766, 
she  dedicated  to  Garrick.  This  and  her  later  Lettres  de 
Sophie  de  Valliere  were  published  in  England  by  Gar- 
rick's  friend  Becket.  In  1768,  as  a  letter  in  Boaden 
shows,  she  was  full  of  enthusiasm  for  a  scheme  of 
making  known  to  her  compatriots  the  best  English 
plays  of  the  century.  She  wrote  to  Garrick,  July  27, 
1768:  "It  is  not  a  mere  whim  that  makes  me  wish  for 
the  plays  of  which  I  sent  you  a  list.  I  am  going  to  let 
you  into  my  secret,  for  there  is  one.  I  am  becoming 
weary  of  writing  novels,  right  in  the  middle  of  that 
which  I  have  half- written ;  distaste  and  boredom  make 
me  leave  it  there.  Perhaps  I  shall  take  it  up  again. 
Meanwhile,  to  fill  my  time,  I  have  undertaken,  at  the 
prayer  of  my  publisher,  a  translation  of  your  drama, 
that  is  of  the  new  comedies.  There  have  been  many 
translations,  but  badly  done.  I  shall  put  care  into  this 
work,  and  far  from  weakening  the  original,  by  slight 
changes  I  shall  try  to  maintain  the  honor  of  that  ras- 
cally nation  that  I  can't  help  loving." '  She  urged  him 

I  Private  CorresJ>ondence,  ii,  541. 


52  LETTERS  OF 

to  have  written  out  for  her  a  list  of  the  comedies,  and 
only  the  comedies,  acted  at  Drury  Lane  and  Covent 
Garden  during  the  past  twenty  years.  Evidently  ob- 
taining these  specimen  plays  was  no  easy  matter,  for 
on  September  seventh  she  again  wrote  to  Garrick :  "In 
the  course  of  an  entire  year  not  to  be  able  to  procure 
from  London  some  twenty  comedies  !  I  might  have  had 
them  from  China.  .  .  .  Having  nothing  with  which  to 
make  a  second  volume,'  I  have  stayed  the  printing  of 
the  first ;  it  will  appear  in  two  months  at  the  earliest. 
Perhaps  you  will  not  be  as  satisfied  with  it  as  your  pre- 
disposition in  my  favor  makes  you  expect.  You  will 
find  the  dialogue  greatly  altered ;  I  warn  you  that  I  have 
taken  terrible  fiberties.  The  two  English  authors  will 
cry  out  at  the  ineptitude,  the  ignorance ;  they  will  say 
that  they  have  not  been  understood.  They  will  be  right 
in  London  and  wrong  here.  I  have  not  pretended  to 
correct,  but  to  make  their  work  more  likely  to  please 
my  compatriots."  She  then  adds  the  words  which 
specially  call  forth  the  praise  of  Garrick  in  the  first  of 
the  two  letters  which  follow.  "My  friend,  the  taste  of 
all  nations  accords  on  certain  points :  the  natural,  truth, 
sentiment,  interest  equally  the  Engfishman,  the  French- 
man, the  Russian,  the  Turk.  But  wit,  badinage,  the 
quip,  the  jesting  tone,  change  in  name  as  the  climate 
changes.  That  which  is  lively,  light,  graceful  in  one 

I  She  had  finished  vol.  i  when  she  wrote  Garrick  on  July  27. 


DAVID  GARRICK  53 

language,  becomes  cold,  heavy,  insipid  or  gross  in 
another;  precision,  accuracy,  the  sources  of  the  charm, 
no  longer  exist.  That  which  would  rouse  a  burst  of 
laughter  in  France,  might  cause  a  howl  in  London  or 
Vienna.  Everywhere  humor  depends  on  nothing,  and 
often  that  nothing  is  local.  Usually  those  who  make  a 
business  of  translating  have  very  little  idea  of  these  deli- 
cate shadings :  consequently  I  have  never  seen  an  endur- 
able translation." '  Such  golden  rules  of  translation  are 
worth  repeating  and  worthy  of  the  praise  Garrick  gives 
them. 

Sepf  IZ^  1768. 

I  have  this  moment  receiv'd  a  most  charming  letter 
from  my  dear,  amiable  Riccoboni — You  have  really 
given  so  true  &  ingenious  Account  of  national  taste 
with  regard  to  the  Drama,  that  a  would  make  a  great 
figure  in  y?  very  best  Collection  of  letters  that  Ever  were 
written — Your  letter,  up  on  my  Soul,  has  charm'd 
Me;  &  tho  I  am  in  the  Mids't  of  bustle,  &  business,  I 
cannot  stay  a  single  Moment  without  answering  it  — 
You  may  depend  upon  my  sending  immediately  every 
Play,  or  dramatic  piece  as  they  are  Acted,  &  before 
they  are  publish'd — but  my  dear  good  Friend,  why 
will  You  talk  of  keeping  an  Account?  Plays  cost  me 
Nothing  &  were  they  Ever  so  dear,  You  would  overpay 

I  Private  Corresp07ide}tce,  ii,  547. 


54  LETTERS  OF 

Me  by  the  honour  and  pleasure  I  shall  receive  in  your 
Acceptance  of  such  triffles — no,  no,  my  proud  gener- 
ous high-spirited  Lady,  we  will  keep  no  Accounts  but 
in  our  hearts,  and  if  you  don't  ballance  the  debt  of  Love 
&  friendship  you  owe  Me,  I  will  use  you,  as  such  an 
ungrateful  Devil  ought  to  be  Us'd — so  no  more  of 
that  — 

I  wiU  not  despair  of  seeing  You  some  time  or  another 
at  my  sweet  little  Villa  of  Hampton;  perhaps  it  will 
raise  your  curiosity  y^  more,  when  I  tell  you,  that  the 
King  of  Denmark  came  with  all  his  Suite  Yesterday  to 
see  my  house  Sc  Garden,  the  Owner,  &  his  Wife;  you 
would  think  me  vain  should  I  tell  you  what  he  said,  & 
I  hope  you  will  think  me  sincere,  when  I  tell  you  that  I 
had  rather  see  You  &  y^.  friend  there  than  all  the  Kings 
&  Princes  of  Europe.  A  propos  of  my  friend  the  Chev^ 
de  Chastelux:'  we  have  a  proverb  that  says — out  of 
sight,  out  of  mind;  I  fear  it  is  so  with  him;  I  have  writ- 
ten to  him  several  times,  being  in  great  Anxiety  for  his 
Life,  but  since  his  very  honourable  Accident,  he  has 
forgot  all"  his  Admirers  on  this  Side  the  Water — tell 
me  honestly  in  Y!  next,  what  he  says  about  Us.  I  shall 
make  out,  as  soon  as  possible,  a  list  of  our  best  Modem 
Comedies:  I  will  consider  them  well  &  give  You  some 


I  In  a  letter  dated  Jul  J  27,  1768,  Mme.Riccoboni  wrote  :  "The  Che- 
valier de  Chatelux,  since  you  saw  him,  was  three  times  wounded  in  a 
duel.  He  is  doing  well."  Private  Correspondence,  Boaden,  11,  540. 
For  a  letter  of  Chastelux  to  Garrick,  see  idetn,  ii,  552. 


DAVm  GARRICK  55 

Notes  upon  them — You  shall  ^""a^  the  Whole  next 
Week  w*^  all  Murphy's  plays — And  so  you  don't  Hke 
Raiiger?^  You  must  know  that  the  Author  wrote  the 
Character  for  my  own  (as  he  said)  when  I  was  Young; 
so  don't  take  an  Aversion  to  it,  for  positively  if  I  can 
catch  you  in  England  I  will  muster  up  Spirits  to  Act  y^ 
Character  over  again  to  you,  in  spite  a^  his  very  lively 
irregularities.  I  think  you,  &  y^  Companion  have  made 
a  good  Choice  of  the  two  Modern  Comedies, — The 
Foundling^  (tho  a  little  romantic)  is  something  in  y' 
Larmoyante  way:  Your  Objection  to  Faddle  is  well 
founded ;  &  it  was  so  dislik'd  at  first  by  y^  Public,  that 
it  had  very  near  sunk  the  Play — Your  Scheme  of  trans- 
lation is  a  very  right  one,  &  Our  Authors  ought  to  thank 
you  for  making  them  palatable  to  the  french  taste;  Your 
Ideas  upon  that  subject  are  !^  very  exact  &  Striking, 
^^if^  I  would  advise  you,  nay  Entreat  you,  to  enlarge 
what  you  have  said  to  Me  upon  that  head,  &  publish 
it,  before  your  translation,  by  way  of  Preface — I  am 
quite  tir'd  &  so  are  You — My  Wife  sits  by  me,  as 
I  jealous  as  the  Devil,  &  asks  me  if  I  shall  Ever  have 
finish'd;  however  she  pretends  to  love  you  still,  &  sends 
her  warmest  wishes  with  mine  to  you  &  y\  Companion 
—  so  Heav'n  bless  you  both,  &  love  me,  as  I  love  you. 

D:  Garrick^ 

1  Principal  character  in  Dr.  Hoadley's  The  Suspicious  Husband. 

2  By  Edward  Moore,  first  produced  in  1753. 

3  This  letter  replies  to  a  letter  of  Mme.  Riccoboni  on  September  7, 


56  LETTERS  OF 

Later  Garrick  sent  the  desired  list,  only  to  be  told 
that  Mme.  Riccoboni  had  all  the  plays  he  names,  and 
that  only  Kelly's  False  Delicacy  and  Murphy's  The 
Deuce  is  in  Him  will  suit  French  taste. 

The  second  letter  of  Garrick  to  Mme.  Riccoboni 
apparently  answers  a  letter  of  hers  dated  October  l, 
1770,'  in  which  she  writes  him  about  sounding  Arthur 
Murphy  as  to  translating  her  Letters  of  Sophia  Fal- 
liere^ — then  in  process  of  composition,  — regales  him 
with  an  anecdote  of  Rousseau,  who  was  in  Paris,  and 
expresses  her  anxiety  in  regard  to  threatening  war  be- 
tween England  and  France. 

Nov".  20 

1770 
My  dear,  and  very  dear  Riccoboni  — 

I  was  upon  the  road  from  Bath  when  your  most 

agreeable  &  delightful  Epistle  came  to  my  house  in 

London:  this  is  the  reason  that  you  did  not  hear  from 

Me  y?  next  post:  why  did  my  amiable  friend  imagine 

that  I  should  Scold,  or  be  angry?  does  she  feel  that  She 

merits  my  Anger?  let  her  feelings  be  what  they  will, 

mine  are  all  love,  friendship.  Sweetness,  affection,  & 

what  not? — M"^.^  Garrick  who  is  sitting  by  me,  (&  who 

1768,  printed  in  vol.  11,  546,  of  the  Private  Correspondence ;  and  Mme. 
Riccoboni's  reply,  undated,  to  this  letter  is  on  pp.  542-44  of  the  same 
volume.  Boaden  confuses  the  right  order. 

1  Private  Corresponde^ice,  11,  571. 

2  Two  volumes,  translated  from  the  French  by  Mr.  Maceuen,  1772. 
Printed  for  T.  Becket ;  and  P.  A.  de  Hondt. 


GARRICK  AS  SIR  JOHN  BRUTE 


OF 


DAVID  GARRICK  st 

loves  you  as  she  possibly  can  love  one,  whom  her  Hus- 
band loves  so  much)  desires  that  Every  Warm  Wish, 
&  affectionate  thought  may  be  presented  to  you,  which 
her  friendly  heart  overflows  with  —  now,  my  dear 
friend,  I  will  finish  this  Love  part  of  my  letter  with  our 
best  Compliments  to  your  amiable  Companion,  &  pro- 
ceed to  business — 

Mf  Murphy  who  is  really  much  your  friend,  &  burns 
to  give  you  proof  of  his  regard,  is  at  present  so  much 
Employ 'd  in  his  profession  of  a  Lawyer,  &  taken  up 
With  a  great  addition  of  business  lately  come  upon 
him,  that  I  fear,  it  will  be  impossible  for  him,  to  do 
that,  which  if  it  had  come  at  y^  time  we  expected  it, 
would  have  been  the  highest  pleasure  to  him — he  has 
written  to  me,  for  I  could  not  see  him,  that  he  begs  to 
think  a  day  or  two  upon  y^  Matter  before  he  gives  it 
up,  but  I  fear  tho  his  heart  is  warm  in  y^  Cause,  he  can- 
not have  time  to  Shew  his  friendship  —  therefore  I 
must  beg  of  you  to  send  one  of  y^  printed  Copies  to  Me 
before  you  publish  them  at  paris,  &  Becket  &  I  will 
procure  the  best  translator  for  y^  work,  had  /  left  if 
Cursed  Stage,  I  would  do  y^  business  Myself — but  in- 
deed I  am  so  hurried  that  I  have  scarce  time  to  keep 
my  Wife  in  humour,  &  say  my  Prayers  — 

I  have  so  many  friends  that  you  must  send  to  Becket 
200  of  y^  f[irst]  Copies,  &  I'll  assist  him  in  y^  sale  — 
the  Sooner  you  send  me  y*"  Copy  we  are  to  translate  y^ 
better,  pray  let  it  be  a  printed  one — I  shall  expect 


58  LETTERS  OF 

another  letter  with  y^  approbation  of  my  Scheme,  or  I 
shall  be  Angry  indeed — just  going  upon  y^  Stage  in 
the  Character  of  Sr  John  Brute'  an  iU  natur'd,  peevish 
Woman-hating  Brute  —  do  you  think  I  shall  do  it 
Justice — 

I  love  you  Ever  &  Ever 

D.  Garrick 
I  hate  y^  Thoughts 
ofWar,  ScIdreadlt- 
Mme.  Riccoboni's  answer  to  this  in  Boaden  opens 
with  a  swift  sketch  of  Garrick  too  accurate  not  to  be 
repeated. 

' '  There  you  are ;  I  recognize  you  my  very  dear  and 
very  obliging  friend.  Prompt  as  lightning,  impetuously 
carried  away  by  the  vivacity  of  your  natural  obliging- 
ness, you  have  cried  to  poor  Mr.  Murphy;  Quick,  quick, 
the  book  is  done,  read  it,  translate  it,  let  us  print  it!  he, 
calm,  balanced,  thought,  reflected,  said  Yes,  then  But,  and 
drat  it!  you  write  me  before  he  has  finished  speaking.'" 
Another  of  Garrick' s  most  sparkling  correspondents, 
if  not  the  surest  in  spelling,  was  Kitty  Clive,  Clivy  Pivy 
as  Garrick  liked  to  call  her.  For  twenty  years  she  had 
acted  at  Drury  Lane  to  the  delight  of  audiences  and  the 
alternating  delight  and  despair  of  her  managers,  as  she 


1  In  Vanbrugh's  TAe  Provoked  Wife. 

2  Private  Correspondence,  ii,  574. 


DAVID  GARRICK  59 

was  minded  to  be  good  or  minded  to  be  very  exasper- 
ating, and  wielded  her  pen  or  her  even  more  stinging 
tongue  in  defense  of  what  her  warm  temper  at  the  mo- 
ment told  her  were  her  disregarded  rights.  After  her 
retirement  in  1769  she  let  Garrick,  whom  she  had  often 
harried  with  her  tongue,  see  how  much  she  admired  him, 
and  their  letters  are  memorials  of  a  hearty  friendship 
resting  mutually  on  admiration  for  sterling  character 
and  finished  art.  Mrs.  Clive's  amusing  account,  in  her 
letter,  of  the  adventure  with  a  highwayman  is  very 
characteristic  of  the  decade  of  1770-80.  So  wretched 
were  police  arrangements  about  London  that  Walpole 
wrote  four  years  before  the  date  of  Mrs.  Clive's  letter: 
"Our  roads  are  so  infested  by  highwaymen,  that  it  is 
dangerous  stirring  out  almost  by  day.  Lady  Hertford 
was  attacked  on  Hounslow  Heath  at  three  in  the  after- 
noon. Dr.  Eliot  was  shot  at  three  days  ago,  without 
having  resisted ;  and  the  day  before  yesterday  we  were 
near  losing  our  Prime  Minister,  Lord  North ;  the  rob- 
bers shot  at  the  postillion,  and  wounded  the  latter.  In 
short,  all  the  freebooters  that  are  not  in  India  have  taken 
to  the  highway.  The  Ladies  of  the  Bedchamber  dare 
not  go  to  the  Queen  at  Kew  in  an  evening.  The  lane 
between  me  and  the  Thames  is  the  only  safe  road  I 
know  at  present,  for  it  is  up  to  the  middle  of  the  horses 
in  water."* 

I  Letters  of  Horace  Walpole^  ii,  i6o. 


60  LETTERS  OF 

Twickenham  June  if  10  1 778 
A  thousand  —  and  a  thousand  —  and  ten  thousand 
thanks  to  my  Dear  Mr  Garrick  for  his  goodness  and 
attention  to  his  Pivy  for  the  care  he  took  in  making  her 
friends  happy — Happy  that  word  is  not  high  enough; 
felicity  I  think  will  do  much  better  to  express  their 
Joy  when  they  found  they  were  To  see  the  Garrick  — 
whome  they  had  never  seen  before — And  yet  I  must 
tell  you,  your  Dear  busy  head  had  like  to  have  Ruin'd 
your  good  designe  for  you  dateed  your  note  Munday 
four  a  Clock  and  to  Morrow  you  said  was  to  be  the  play 
— and  pray  who  do  you  think  set  it  righte — why  your 
Blunder  headed  Jemy; '  I  did  not  receive  your  letter  till 
Wednesday  Morning;  so  they  was  to  set  out  for  the 
play  on  thursday ;  but  Jemy  pouring  over  your  Epistle 
found  out  the  Mistake  and  away  he  flew  to  Mr  Shirly's 
with  your  Letter  and  the  news  paper  from  the  Coffee 
house,  to  let  the  Ladies  see  the  play  was  that  day ;  this 
was  between  one  and  two  Mrs  Shirly  ordered  the  horses 
to  the  Coach  that  Moment,  and  bid  the  Misses  fly  up 
and  dress,  for  they  must  go  without  dinner.  Dinner — 
Dinner — Lord  they  did  not  wan' t  dinner — and  away 
they  went  to  take  up  there  party  which  was  Gov  Tryon 
Lady  &  daughter ;  every  thing  happened  right  they  got 
their  places  without  the  least  trouble  or  difliculty,  and 

I  Mrs.  Clive's  brother  James  (Jemmy)  Raftor,  who  lived  with  her. 


DAVID  GARRICK  61 

likd  every  Thing  they  saw — except  the  Garrick  they 

did  [n't]  see  Much  in  him — you  may  revers  it  if  you 

please  and  assure  your  self  They  Likd  Nothing  else ; 

they  think  themselves  under  Such  obligations  to  Me 

for  my  goodness  to  them,  that  We  are  all  Invited  to 

dine  there  to  day  when  I  shall  give  you  for  My  toast. 

have  you  not  heard  of  the  adventures  of  your  poor 

pivy  I  have  been  robd  and  murder' d  Coming  from 

kingston  Jemey  and  I  in  a  post  Shey  was  Stop't  At 

half  past  Nine  Just  by  Tedington  Church ;  I  only  lost  a 

little  Silver  and  My  Senses,  for  one  of  them  Came  into 

the  Carriage  with  a  great  horse  pistol  to  Search  me  for 

my  Watch  but  I  had  it  not  with  me ;  but  your  Jemey 

Lost  his ;  he  was  ten  times  More  frightened  then  I  was 

but  he  denies  it,  says  it  was  only  for  Me ;  however  after 

we  came  ^°"®  and  had  frighted  Mrs.  Mestivier  we  sat 

down  to  Supper  and  I  dont  know  that  I  ever  Laught 

More  in  My  Life.  I  hope  My  dear  Mrs  Garrick  is  well, 

I  will  not  say  any  thing  about  you — for  they  say  you 

are  in  such  spirits  that  you  intend  playing  till  Next 

Sepf 

Adiue  My  Dear  Sir  be  assur'd 

I  am  ever 


yrs 


Pivy  Clive 


We  all  joyn  in  our 

Best  wishes  to  Mrs  Garrick.' 


I  Printed,  in  part  only,  in  ihe^ttarterly  Review,  June,  li 


62  LETTERS  OF 

Garrick,  in  a  letter  to  John  Hoadley,  in  May,  1771,' 
speaks  of  a  recent  publication  on  Gout  by  a  Dr.  Cado- 
gan,  but  not  as  if  he  knew  the  author.  William  Cadogan 
(1711-1797),  after  study  at  Oxford  and  Leyden,  began 
practice  at  Bristol.  Later,  when  he  had  already  won 
election  to  the  Royal  Society,  he  came  to  London, 
where  he  was  very  successful.  He  became  a  member 
of  the  College  of  Physicians  in  1 75  8 .  Besides  delivering 
two  Harveian  lectures,  in  1764  and  1792,  he  printed  his 
graduation  thesis,  De  Nutritione,  etc.^  an  essay  on  the 
nursing  and  care  of  children,  1750,  and,  in  1771,  the 
treatise  on  Gout  already  mentioned.  The  book  went 
through  ten  editions  in  two  years,  something  which 
speaks  more  for  the  prevalence  of  the  disease  than  the 
contributiveness  of  the  essay,  for  it  has  been  declared 
' '  sound  as  far  as  it  goes ' '  but  ' '  not  a  work  of  any 
depth . "  Dr .  Cadogan  was  a  man  of  pleasing  manners , 
strong  good  sense,  and,  as  references  to  him  in  the  let- 
ters show,  of  humor  and  a  bent  for  teasing. 

Writing  from  Garrick's  villa  at  Hampton  in  1777 
Hannah  More  said:  "Dr.  Cadogan  and  his  agreeable 
daughter  have  spent  a  day  and  a  night  here.  The  Doc- 
tor gave  me  some  lectures  in  anatomy,  and  assures  me 
that  I  am  now  as  well  acquainted  with  secretion,  con- 
coction, digestion,  and  assimilation,  as  many  a  wise- 
looking  man  in  a  great  wig."^  In  Boaden  there  are 

1  Seep.  45. 

2  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More,  Roberts,  i,  71. 


DAVID  GARRICK  63 

two  letters  by  the ' '  agreeable  daughter,' '  Frances  Cado- 
gan,  one  hardly  more  than  a  formal  request  for  a  box,' 
the  other  an  interesting  letter,*  but  not  clear  in  its  refer- 
ences without  a  letter  in  the  Leigh  Collection.  That  con- 
tains twelve  notes  and  letters  to  Miss  Cadogan  and  her 
father,  and  as  a  set,  they  for  the  first  time  reveal  another 
charming  friendship  of  Garrick's  last  days.  Slight  as 
some  of  the  notes  are,  they  seem  worth  printing,  so 
much  light  do  they  throw  on  the  intimate  companion- 
ship of  Garrick  and  his  wife,  on  his  volatile  spirit  even 
after  he  withdrew  from  active  life,  and  on  this  play- 
fully tender  friendship  of  the  two  Garricks  with  the 
young  girl.  The  actor,  William  Parsons,  in  whose 
behalf  the  first  letter  was  written,  described  as  "  a  thin 
and  asthmatical  man,  but  a  good  comedian,"  survived 
to  mourn  Garrick  at  the  great  pageant  attending  his 
funeral  in  Westminster. 

My  dear  D^ 

Poor  Parsons  we  fear  is  in  a  bad  way — he  has 
desir'd  me  to  recommend  him  to  any  Physical  friend  of 
Mine,  that  will  as  he  terms  a  see  him  at  an  Easy  rate — 
will  you  be  so  kind  to  me,  &  him,  as  to  see  him  tomor- 
row Morn??  &  let  me  know  his  Situation :  'tis  of  great 
Consequence  to  us  —  What  shall  I  say  to  you  for  my 
impertinence  —  ?  this  I  say — when  you  want  any  of 

1  Private  Correspondence^  il,  150. 

2  Idem^  II,  239. 


64  LETTERS  OF 

your  friends  to  be  merry  send  them  to  Me^  &  when  I 

want  any  oi  My  friends  to  be  well,  I  will  send  them  to 

You.  done — pray  see  Parsons  to-Morrow  Morning — 

yrs  Ever  &  most  affect^, 

D.  Garrick 
Parsons  lives  at  N°  9 

in  Queen  Street  facing  the 
British  Museum. 
I  have  rec'd  some  sweet 
Letters  from  y";  Daughter 

Perhaps  the  most  noteworthy  feature  of  the  second 
letter,  a  single  sheet  written  lengthwise  on  each  side,  is 
the  gradual  development  from  the  formal  My  dear 
Madam  to  the  intimacies  of  the  last  lines. 

My  dear  Madam  I  am  sorry  but  My  Box  is  Engag'd 
to  day,  the  D'  is  the  Cause  that  it  is,  having  said  to  me, 
that  it  would  not  be  in  either  of  your  Power  to  come  to 
Drury-Lane  before  you  go  out  of  Town.  Will  you 
tell  him  that  I  dined  out  yesterday  and  was  not  the  bet- 
ter for  it.  Adieu  [On  the  other  side  of  the  sheet  is  the 
following:]  As  you  could  go  to  the  Play,  why  can  you 
not  come  in  your  night  gown  and  drink  your  Coffee  & 
Tea  at  the  Adelphi  this  evening  ?  I  am  quite  by  Myself, 
my  Hus*^  dines  with  L*^  Mansfield  but  will  come  hom* 
time  Enough  to  Kiss  you.  My  Coach  shall  be  with  you 
about  half  after  six.  I  take  no  Excuse — bring  your 
work. 


DR.  WILLIAM  CADOGAN 


I 


I 


I 


UNlVt:- 

OF 


DAVID  GARRICK  65 

The  next  two  letters,  of  uncertain  date,  explain 
themselves. 


My  Dearest  D^ 

My  poor  Husb"^  has  been  taken  ill  yesterday, 
and  I  shall  not  be  happy  till  you  come  and  tell  me  that 
he  is  in  no  Danger.  As  this  is  the  day  in  which  you  are 
to  be  in  Town,  I  will  send  our  Coach  to  your  house  in 
the  country'  where  he  will  wait  till  you  can  come  to 
Hampton ;  and  if  you  can  not  stay  all  night  you  shall 
be  carried  home  again  at  what  hour  you  Please  God 
bless  You  and  Yours. 

Ever  Yours 

M:  Garrick 
Hampton  Tuesday  6 :  a  clock 
July  the  21  — 

Thursday.^ 
My  dearest  Second 

I  write  to  you  with  my  own  hand  that  you  may 
know  I  am  better — 

M"".^  Garrick' s  impudence  of  sending  for  D^  Cadogan 
was  unknown  to  me,  &  Nothing  but  her  great  fears  to 
see  me  in  such  Agonies  could  have  excus'd  her — 
I  have  got  rid  of  two  or  three  possessing  Devils  & 

1  Hurlingham. 

2  As  the  previous  letter  is  dated  Tuesday,  July  21,  the  date  of  this  is 
probably  July  23. 


66  LETTERS  OF 

the  great  Devil  of  'Em  all  who  has  left  me  I  hope  Sul- 
phur Brimstone  &  Sin  but  has  taken  the  flesh  &  Spirit 
along  with  him  too — I  shall  be  well  Enough  to  see  you 
in  a  day  or  two  or  three  &  Expect  Banquo's  Ghost  to 
appear  in  his  pale-brown  terrors  before  you — I  would 
not  frighten  you  if  I  could,  but  would  always  wish  [to] 
give  you  a  little  flutter  —  this  is  Sentiment  &  y^  only 
one,  I  have  in  Common  with  Boulter  Roflfey  Esq" 

Yours  Ever  &  most 

Affect^ 

D.  Garrick 
This  is  y^  first 

letter  of  any  length  I  have  written 
or  attempted  to  write 
Omnia  vincit  amor ! 

The  batch  of  invitations  which  follows  shows  the 
intimacy  of  Miss  Cadogan's  friendship  with  both  Gar- 
rick and  his  wife. 


Sep".  15.'  1777. 

My  dear  Madam. 

We  are  y^  unhappiest  of  human  beings — a 
Marriage  &  other  Matters  in  our  family  have  Occa- 

I  It  was  at  the  house  of  Boulter  Roffey  that  Miss  Cadogan  met  Mrs. 
Yates  the  actress  and  Mrs.  Brooke,  with  whose  friendship  Garrick 
taxes  her  in  the  letter  printed  on  p.  127.  See  also  Private  Correspond- 
ence^ II,  239. 


DAVID  GARRICK  er 

sion'd  the  forgetfulness  &  negligence  of  my  dear  Friends 
at  Hurlingham  —  will  you  forgive  us — ?  We  have 
been  wandering  &  disconsolate  Ever  Since  you  saw  us 
— We  are  Oblig'd  to  run  down  to  Lichfield  with  all 
speed  —  What  we  have  done,  &  undone,  &  what 
strange  matters  we  have  Experienc'd,  You  shall  know, 
when  we  call  upon  you  at  our  return  to  enjoy  some  calm 
Society  with  you  at  Hampton  —  We  hope  to  be  back  in 
a  fortnight,  &  then  I  hope,  you  will  hear  all,  see  all,  & 
forgive  all — 

M?  Garrick  sends  her  Love  &  what  not  to  you  & 
yours. 

Ever  most  cordially 

&  affectionately  Yours 

D:  Garrick 


Ocf.  20* 
Monday 
My  dear  Madam 

We  are  just  return'd  from  North  Wales,  a  most 
divine  Country — to  shorten  Matters  between  us  will 
You  &  Your  good  Father  be  With  Us  next  Saturday  to 
dinner  &  stay  as  long  as  you  please,  if  as  long  as  We 
please  you  must  spend  the  Xmas  with  us — pray  send 
a  Line  by  y^  Post  or  to  y^  Adelphi  to  let  us  know  if  we 
may  expect  you  on  Saturday  to  dinner  or  if  we  shall 


68  LETTERS  OF 

send  our  Coach  to  Richmond  Bridge  for  You — It  has 
Nothing  to  do  but  wait  y""  Commands — 

Y^.^  Most  affect'^ 

Ever 


D  Garrick' 


Madam  sends  her  best 

Love  to  Both  with  mine 

Don't  teU  y"  Df  but  I  have  y" 

Gout  in  My  Writing  Thumb 
&  Middle  finger — Ecce 
Signum!  Scrawl! 


Hampton  Aug'^  18. 
My  dearly  beloved 

We  shall  be  most  happy  to  see  you  &  your  Anti- 
Shakespeare  Father  on  Sunday  next  —  tho  he  has 
manifold  Sins  &  much  Wickedness,  they  shall  be  all 
forgiven  on  Your  Account — We  are  going  to  Bright- 
helmstone  for  3  or  4  days  next  Wednesday  &  we  shall 
return  on  Saturday  Night,  but  for  fear  we  should  not 
arrive  at  Hampton  till  Sunday  Morning — secure  your 
breakfast  at  Hurlingham,  &  be  with  us  about  12 — stay 
with  us  all  Night,  &  as  long  after,  as  it  shall  please 


I  These  last  three  invitations  are  so  imperfectly  dated  that  it  is  dif- 
ficult to  tell  just  when  they  were  written.  Apparently  the  last  two  just 
precede  the  letter  from  Brighton. 


DAVID  GARRICK  69 

You,  for  Nobody  Else  shall  govern  at  Hampton,  or 

Me— 

Ever  &  most  AiFect^  Yours 

D  Garrick. 
No  date  &  no  place 

to  your  letter — there  goes  one  fault — 

would  I  could  find  another ! 

Tuesday  Aug^*  20 

My  dear  Madam — 

Upon  second  thoughts,  for  fear  our  friends 

should  press  us  to  stay  another  day  at  Brighthelmstone, 

we  wish  that  you  would  defer  the  Pleasure  you  are  to 

give  us  at  Hampton  till  Sunday  sennight,  when  we  shall 

hope  for  your  Company  as  soon  as  you  can  give  it  us — 

We  will  take  for  granted  that  you  will  come,  if  we  hear 

Nothing  from  you — write  any  thing  you  have  to  say 

to  the  Adelphi  about  Thursday  next — if  you  could 

come  Friday,  or  Saturday,  the  sooner  the  better.  We 

live  in  hopes  to'  am  Yours  &  my  dear  Doctor's  most 

Affectionate, 

Friends 

The  Garricks 

The  references  in  the  following  letter  suggest  that  it 
was  written  in  1777,  just  before  the  visit  of  the  Cado- 
gans  to  the  Garricks  in  which  Hannah  More  met  them 
for  the  first  time  and  was  lectured  by  the  Doctor/  A  let- 

I  See  crossed  out  after  to.  2  See  p.  62. 


70  LETTERS  OF 

ter  of  Hannah  More  exists  dated  177'?'  mentioning  the 
distich  as  if  recent.' 

Monday  Night 
My  most  Amiable  Friend 

What  a  Charming  Letter  have  you  written  to 
Me?  —  all  the  Nonsensical  Prescriptions  of  yf  most 
learned  Father  could  not  have  a  ten  thousandth  part  of 
the  Effect  upon  my  animal  Spirits  as  Your  sweet  Words 
have:  There's  Magic  in  Every  Line — and  Miss  Han- 
nah More  swears  like  a  Trooper  that  it  is  y^  best  letter 
in  y^  Language — We  shall  wait  for  Sunday  with  im- 
patience. 

My  Coach  if  you  please  shall  meet  you  half  way  or 
rather  come  for  You  at  y^  own  hour — so  if  you  love  me 
be  free — my  horses  are  young  &  have  Nothing  to  do 
— but  if  y'  D'  will  not  suffer  his  Cattle  out  of  his  Sight, 
they  shall  dine  with  us,  lie  with  us,  or  w*  you  will  with 
us,  provided  he  will  not  abuse  Shakespeare,  &  his  lov- 
ing Patient — in  short  you  are  to  command  &  we  shall 
obey  most  punctually — pray  send  a  Line  to  y^  Adelphi 
with  your  pleasure  at  full 

Ever  my  dear  Miss 
Cadogan's 

most  affectionate 

Friend  &  Ser"^ 

D.  Garrick 

I  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More,  Roberts,  ed.  1836,  i,  71. 


THE  HANDWRITING  OF  GARRICK  AND  OF 
HIS  WIFE 


I 


I 


^ 


\. 


X 


DAVID  GARRICK  n 

You  will  be  glad  to  know  that  M'^  Barbauld  late  Miss 
Aikin  wrote  y^  following  distich  upon  Miss  More's 
shewing  her  my  Buckles  my  Wife  gave  her,  which  I 
play'd  in  y^  last  Night  of  Acting. 

Thy  Buckles,  O  Garrick,  thy  Friends  may  now  Use, 
But  no  Mortals  hereafter  shall  stand  in  thy  Shoes. 

A.  L.  Barbauld. 

The  references  to  Lord  Palmerston's  country  seat  in 
the  next  double  letter  and  the  letter  following  it  show 
that  they  were  written  not  far  apart.  The  second  letter 
is  more  than  usually  marked  by  inexplicable  references. 
Miss  Cadogan's  evident  anxiety  for  the  mysterious 
' '  young  man ' '  is  pleasantly  suggestive  of  a  love-affair, 
but  he  may  be  only  a  prosaic  brother;  and  just  what  Dr. 
Cadogan  had  been  saying  in  jest  to  draw  out  the  con- 
fusing sentence  as  to  desertion  is  even  more  cryptic. 

My  Dearest  of  all  dears !  We  shall  set  out  for  Hamp- 
shire next  Sunday  which  is  the  13*  now  whether  we  can 
be  back  on  the  21!!!  is  not  in  my  Power  to  say ;  but  my  L^ 
&  Master  may.  All  that  I  can  tell  you  is,  that  I  shall  be 
very  very  sorry  not  to  see  you  on  the  21^  I  have  done, 
I  see  your  impatience  to  come  at  what  follows — Ever 
your 

faithful 

M:G K 


r2  LETTERS  OF 

My  dearest  Second. 

It  was  only  this  Morning  at  breakfast  that  the 
light  of  Conviction  broke  upon  Me,  as  it  did  upon  S- 
Paul,  &  I  discoverd  for  the  first  Moment  to  whom  I 
was  indebted  for  y^  most  charming  imitation  of  Horace 
—  O  You  Wretched  Creature !  &  so  you  would  not  tell 
Me  or  my  Wife? — how  could  you  keep  such  delight- 
ful flattery  a  Secret,  for  it  has  doubled  in  value,  since  I 
know  y^  hand  that  administer'd  it — the  Moment  we  can 
return  from  Hampshire  I  will  give  you  Notice,  &  will 
send  the  Coach  for  You — I  hope  we  shall  be  with  you 
soon  enough  to  take  you  on  y""  Way  to  Farnborough  &  I 
hope  we  shall  catch  you  &  keep  you  at  your  return  — 
Ever  &  most  aifect^ 

Yrf 

Love  to  y^  Dr  D.  Garrick 

I  will  write  to  You  from 
Lord  Palmer ston '  s — 
I  am  better  but  n  [ot] 
quite  the  very  th  [ing] . 
Sunday  6'^  of  Sep'. 

My  dear  Madam. 

I  must  answer  your  most  friendly  affectionate 
Letter  immediatly,  tho  you  would  Willingly  excuse  Me, 
&  indeed,  I  am  always  ready  to  most  of  my  Correspond- 
ents to  lay  hold  of  any  Excuse  to  be  idle — but  were 
I  flannel'd  &  muffled  with  y^  Gout,  tormented  with  a 


DAVID  GARRICK  73 

Worse  disorder  &  roaring  in  my  bed,  I  would  say- 
something  to  please  Myself  be  the  consequence  what  it 
would  to  my  dear  Second — I  return  the  Young  Man's 
letter,  which  is  very  Sensibly  Written,  but  we  have 
had  Accounts  as  late  as  y*  6^^  of  August,  which  gives  a 
more  favourable  Account  of  Matters  —  I  am  afraid  by 
what  I  have  learnt  here  that,  while  he  is  in  y^  American 
Service,  and  Lord  Howe,  Commander  of  y^  Whole,  He 
must  remain  as  he  is — for  Lord  Howe  wiU  not  let 
any  preferment  take  place  even  by  y^  first  Lord  of  the 

Ad y  Without  his  Approbation  —  his  Lordship  is 

very  jealous  of  that  part  of  his  office,  &  I  hear,  made  it 
one  of  his  Chief  Conditions  When  he  Accepted  of  the 
Command — however  I  will  seek  farther  before  I  give 
up  Anything,  on  which  You  &  my  dear  D'  have  set 
Your  hearts — pray  let  Your  Worthy  Father  know  that 
I  feel  in  my  heart  of  Hearty  all  the  kind  Expressions  of 
his  Love  &  AiFection  to  Me.  but  My  health  would 
be  of  very  little  Service  to  me,  if  I  was  to  purchase  it  at 
y^  Price  of  his  being  shot  for  a  deserter;  unless  ''"!^^*^ 
before  the  Cap  was  puU'd  over  his  Eyes,  He  would  re- 
pent of  the  manifold  Sins  he  has  Committed  against  the 
God  of  my  Idolatry — Shakes-spear! — Him  him!  He 
is  the  Him! — there  is  no  other. 

My  Love  I  beseech  you  to  all  where  You  are  pray 
tell  'Em  We  will  call  on  our  return  to  take  a  kiss  & 
away — As  there  will  be  no  Turkey-pouts  &  ducklings 
and  the  Weather  too  hot  for  pig,  I  shall  make  y^  best  of 


74  LETTERS  OF 

my  way  home  —  &  tell  'Em  likewise  I  have  answer'd 
the  precious  Cicester  Gazette  for  which  I  thank  them 
most  sincerely — Lady  Bathurst  will  let  Em  know  what 
a  poor  figure  I  make  against  such  an  army  of  Wits, 
Virtues,  Youth,  &  Beauties,  — We  expect  to  leave  this 
place  in  about  8  or  10  days  — 

My  Wife  sends  her  warmest  Love — We  are  very 
happy  here — a  good  host  a  Sweet  place  &  warm  Well- 
come— 

Most  Affectionately 
&  trly  yrs 

D:  Gakrick. 
Broadlands  near 

Romsey — Lord 

Palmerston's  seat 

Sep*  21^*  1778. 

PS.— 

Pray  when  you  write  to  Miss  Griffith '  let  her  know, 
if  I  could  have  answer'd  her  flattering  Lines  as  they 
deserv'd  she  should  have  heard  from  Me,  but  I  can- 
not yet  Write  as  I  ought  so  she  Must  Accept  my  best 
thanks  till  I  can  have  strength  to  mount  my  Pegasus  — 

The  effect  of  letters  picked  up  as  occasion  served 
must  necessarily  be  somewhat  scrappy,  but  do  not 
these  from  the  Leigh  Collection  make  clearer,  not  the 

I  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Griffith,  dramatist. 


-y^MiBi®aiijfi.''''. 


GARRICK  CIRCA  1760 


I 


I 

Br 

I 


■ 
I 


OF 


£AUfO^ 


DAVID  GARRICK  75 

variety  in  friends  of  Garrick,  for  that  was  clear  enough 
ah-eady,  but  his  variety  in  friendship,  his  readiness  to 
serve,  his  thousand  little  gaieties,  in  brief  his  charm? 
Reading  them,  does  not  one  understand  better  Hannah 
More's,  "I  can  never  cease  to  remember  with  affection 
and  gratitude  so  warm,  steady  and  disinterested  a 
friend ;  and  I  can  most  truly  bear  this  testimony  to  his 
memory,  that  I  never  witnessed,  in  any  family,  more 
decorum,  propriety,  and  regularity  than  in  his: — of 
which  Mrs.  Garrick,  by  her  elegance  of  taste,  her  cor- 
rectness of  manners,  and  very  original  turn  of  humour, 
was  the  brightest  ornament.  All  his  pursuits  and  tastes 
were  so  decidedly  intellectual,  that  it  made  the  society, 
and  the  conversation  which  was  always  to  be  found  in 
his  circle,  interesting  and  delightful."  '  Yet,  after  all, 
what  more  convincing  testimony  to  the  worth  and  lov- 
ableness  of  this  man  of  many  friends  than  his  wife's  sad 
reply  to  Miss  More's  expression  of  surprise  at  her  self- 
command  just  after  Garrick's  death:  "Groans  and 
complaints  are  very  well  for  those  who  are  to  mourn 
but  a  little  while,  but  a  sorrow  that  is  to  last  for  life  will 
not  be  violent  and  romantic.'"*  And  hers  did  last  for 
more  than  forty  years,  for  always  "Davy"  was  in  her 
thoughts. 


1  Memoirs  of  Hannah  More,  Roberts,  ed.  1836,  i,  92. 
3  Idem,  I,  96. 


THE  HARASSMENTS  OF  A  MANAGER 


n 

The  Harassments  of  a  Manager 

WHEN  one  reads  the  letters  of  the  Leigh  Collec- 
tion it  ceases  to  be  surprising  either  that  Garrick 
constantly  feared  misrepresentation,  or  that,  in  his  effort 
to  steer  safely  amidst  so  many  conflicting  human  inter- 
ests and  so  many  hampering  traditions,  he  should  at 
times  have  seemed  temporizing  or  vacillating.  Two 
letters  of  the  collection,  both  to  Lord  Holderness,  show 
the  maze  of  conflicting  interests — the  jealousy  of  re- 
jected authors,  desire  to  please  noble  patrons,  and  actual 
fear  of  Court  disfavor — through  which  Garrick  had  to 
thread  his  way.  Robert  D' Arcy,  fourth  Earl  of  Holder- 
ness (1718-1778),  was  naturally  predisposed  to  serve 
Garrick,  for  in  his  earlier  days  he  was  passionately  fond 
of  directing  operas  and  masquerades.  Indeed  in  1743 
he  and  Lord  Middlesex  had  been  sole  managers  of  the 
London  opera.  Hence  the  fitness  of  the  lampoon  that 
greeted  his  selection,  in  1751,  as  a  Secretary  of  State. 

"  That  secrecy  will  now  prevail 
In  politics,  is  certain ; 
Since  Holderness,  who  gets  the  seals, 
Was  bred  behind  the  curtain." 

On  his  death  it  was  said  of  him  that  he  had  been  "not 
quite  so  considerable  a  personage  as  he  once  expected 


78  LETTERS  OF 

to  be,  though  Nature  never  intended  him  for  anything 
that  he  was."' 

My  Lord. 

I  have  taken  the  Liberty  to  send  Your  Lordship 
a  Copy  of  ye  Guardian^  hehre  publication;  could  I  pos- 
sibly shew  my  Respect  &  Gratitude  in  things  of  more 
importance  I  certainly  would,  but  I  deal  in  Triffles,  & 
have  Nothing  Else  in  my  Power.  Prince  Edward  askM 
me  last  Night,  who  was  the  Author  of  y*  Farce ;  I  was 
in  great  Confusion  at  y^  Question,  because  I  happen'd 
to  be  the  Guilty  person  Myself,  But  I  have  so  many 
Enemies  among  the  Writers  on  Account  of  my  refus- 
ing so  many  of  their  Performances  Every  Year,  that  I 
am  oblig'd  to  conceal  Myself  in  order  to  avoid  the  Tor- 
rent of  abuse  that  their  Malice  would  pour  upon  Me — 
I  thought  it  proper  (and  I  hope  Your  Lordship  will 
Excuse  Me)  to  discover  this ;  lest  his  Royal  Highness 
should  be  angry  at  my  not  answering  his  Question 
directly,  as  I  ought  to  have  done — as  Your  Lordship 
well  understands  my  disagreeable  Situation,  may  I  hope 
to  have  so  good  an  Advocate  as  Lord  [erasure  and 
blank]  ?  It  is  of  Great  Consequence  to  me  to  Conceal 
the  Author  of  y*  Guardian,  but  it  is  of  y*"  Utmost  to  Me 


I  Letters  ofHorace\  Walpole^  ed.  C.  D.  Yonge,  ii,  192. 
2  A  comedy  in  two  acts  translated  and  altered  by  Garrick  from  the 
Pupille  of  C.  B.  Fagan.  The  adaptation  was  first  produced  February 
3. 1759. 


DAVID  GARRICK  79 

not  to  be  found  Wanting  in  y^  least  Article  of  my  Duty 

to  his  Royal  Highness. 

I  am 

My  Lord 

Your  Lordship's 

most  Oblig'd,  &  most 

Obedient,  humble  Serv* 

D:  Garrick 
Sunday 

The  second  letter  to  Lord  Holderness  and  the  two 
which  follow  it  show  the  somewhat  ticklish  relations  of 
a  manager  of  one  of  the  two  patent  theatres  to  the 
Court.  Though  neither  company,  in  the  middle  of 
the  eighteenth  century,  was  still  called  "His  Majesty's 
Servants,"  Garrick's  words  prove  that  he  felt  his  own 
comings  and  goings  were  under  surveillance,  and 
thought  it  was  wise  to  ask  for  a  consent,  at  least  form- 
ally necessary,  before  leaving  the  stage  during  the 
season. 

March  ll"^ 
1759 
My  Lord. 

I  have  been  so  much  indulg'd  by  your  Good- 
ness, that  I  shall  venture  to  open  my  Griefs  to  Your 
Lordship — It  is  my  greatest  Ambition  that  the  Com- 


80  LETTERS  OF 

pany  of  Drury-Lane  should  not  appear  unworthy  of  his 
Royal  Highness's  Commands — but  indeed  I  am  affraid, 
from  a  late  Rehearsal,  that  the  Comedy  oi  Every  Man 
in  his  humor  will  disgrace  Us,  If  I  have  not  a  little 
more  time  for  instruction — the  Language  &  Charac- 
ters of  Ben  Jonson  (and  particularly  of  the  Comedy  in 
question)  are  much  more  difficult  than  those  of  any 
other  Writer,  &  I  was  three  years  before  I  durst  ven- 
ture to  trust  the  Comedians  with  their  Characters,  when 
it  was  first  reviv'd — however,  my  Lord,  the  Play  will 
be  ready  in  y^  best  Manner  We  are  able  to  produce  it, 
should  his  Royal  Highness  honour  us  w*!"  his  Com- 
mands, but  indeed  I  tremble  for  the  little  Reputation  we 
may  have  acquir'd  in  other  performances — I  am  affraid 
of  being  thought  too  bold,  &  Yet  I  could  wish,  that  Your 
Lordship  would  favor  us  with  Your  Good  Offices,  &.  if 
the  Rehearsal  might  be  permitted  to  make  It's  appear- 
ance first,  I  should  hope,  by  having  a  little  more  time, 
to  make  the  other  Play  less  unworthy  of  his  Royal 
Highness's  presence.  I  hope  Your  Lordship  will  attrib- 
ute this  Liberty  I  have  taken  to  the  Zeal  of  appearing 
in  y^  best  Light  I  possibly  can,  as  a  Manager  of  a 

Theatre. 

lam 

My  Lord 

yf  Lordship's  most  dutiful! 

&  most  Obed^  hum'  Ser* 

D:  Garrick. 


HENRI  LOUIS  Le  KAIN 


I 

I 

I 


A /.A 


\\K\ 


DAVID  GARRICK  81 

Evidently  one  of  the  many  new  friends  made  by 
Garrick  during  his  vacation  on  the  Continent  which 
ended  in  April,  1765,  was  LeKain  of  the  Theatre  Fran- 
gais.  In  July,  1765,  the  great  French  actor — who  "is 
very  ugly  and  ill  made,  and  yet  has  an  heroic  dignity 
which  Garrick  wants,  and  great  fire'" — wrote  Gar- 
rick that  he  hoped  to  visit  London  in  or  near  the  fol- 
lowing Lenten  season.  In  warmly  friendly  fashion  he 
added :  "  I  shall  find  it  very  pleasant  to  join  my  applause 
to  that  which  you  receive  daily  from  a  people  of  whom 
you  have  sometimes  had  cause  to  complain,  but  who 
have  made  your  talents  immortal  and  have  established 
your  fortune:  with  such  mitigations  one  may  pardon 
many  things.  You  are  in  the  good  graces  of  your 
clergy,  and  our  archbishop  has  sent  us  all  to  the  Devil; 
you  are  your  own  master,  and  we  are  slaves ;  you  enjoy 
a  glory  that  is  real,  and  ours  is  always  in  dispute ;  you 
have  a  brilliant  fortune,  and  we  are  poor;  there  are  ter- 
rible contrasts  for  you !  "  *  As  the  following  letter,  and 
one  printed  by  Boaden,^  show,  LeKain  arrived  at  a  most 
inopportune  time  for  Garrick  and  the  expected  meeting 
did  not  take  place. 

Bath,  Mars  27^.  1766. 
Je  ne  scai  pas,  mon  tres  cher  leKain,  si  Je  suis  plus 
etonne  ou  afflige  de  recevoir  votre  lettre :  vous  m'avez 

1  Letters  of  Horace  Walpole,  ed.  C.  D.  Yonge,  ii,  26. 

2  Private  Correspondence  of  D.  Garrick,  Boaden,  11,  443. 

3  Idem,  II,  473. 


82  LETTERS  OF 

mis  dans  le  plus  grand  Embarras.  Ma  femme  qui  par- 
tage  mon  Embarras,  et  vous  envoye  mille  amitiez  a 
ete  malade  depuis  quelques  jours  et  garde  la  maison; 
J'ai  commence  les  eaux  avec  succes  et  nous  sommes 
Entoures  de  la  Neige ;  toutes  ces  considerations  m'ont 
Empeche  d'etre  deja  en  route  pour  vous  joindre:  cepend- 
ant  si  vous  pouvez  reste  a  londres  Encore  huit  ou  dix 
jours,  Je  partirai  sur  votre  reponse  que,  Je  vous  prie,  de 
me  donner  le  meme  jour  que  vous  receverez  la  presente. 
vous  pouvez  conter '  de  me  voir  avant  le  fin  de  la  Se- 
maine :  mais  quel  Malheur  pour  moi  que  Je  ne  puisse 
pas  suivre  mon  inclination  en  jouant  expres  pour  vous 
— et  en  voici  la  raison — c'est  que  J'ai  demande  per- 
mission au  roi  de  m'absenter  pour  six  semaines — dail- 
leurs  tous  les  jours  sont  engages  pour  les  benefices  des 
Acteurs  exceptes  les  jeudis  qu'on  donne  la  nouvelle 
Comedie  ^  dans  laquelle  je  ne  joue  pas.  Mais  mon  cher 
LeKain,  pourquoy  n'avez  vous  pas  fait  attention  a  la 
lettre  que  Je  vous  ai  ecrit  d  abord  en  reponse  a  la  votre 
—  Monsieur  Bontems  chez  MonsUeComte  de  Guerchy, 
s'estoit  charge  de  vous  faire  parvenir  ma  Lettre,  et  il 
me  rendra  temoignage  que  Je  vous  ai  prie  de  remettre 
votre  voyage  jusque  a  I'annee  prochaine,  lorsque  J'au- 
rois  ete  tout  a  vous — parlez,  je  vous  prie,  de  cette 


1  Garrick  seems  first  to  have  written  conte  and  then  to  have  added 
the  r  without  removing  the  accent. 

2  Probably  Charles  Shadwell's  Irish  Hospitality^  produced  March 
15.  Genest,  iv,  93. 


DAVID  GARRICK  83 

affaire  a  Mons'  Bontems,  car  ce  contre-temps  me  met 
audesespoir.  En  attendant  j'ai  prie  un  Ami  '^^  passer 
chez  vous  pour  scavoir  s'il  peut  vous  etre  utile  a  quel- 
ques  choses — peutetre  serez  vous  dans  le  cas  de  faire 
quelques  emplettes  dans  ce  pais,  Si  cela  vous  arrive,  je 
vous  prie  de  disposer  de  ma  bourse  et  de  me  regarder 
toujours,  Comme  Je  le  suis  reellement,  votre  tres  hum- 
ble et  tres  afFectione  Ami 

D:  Garrick 
N'oubliez  pas,  je  vous  prie, 

de  me  faire  reponse  sur  le  champ  — 

Vous  ne  scauriez  croire  dans  quel  I'Etat  d'inquietude 

mon'  malheureux  eloignement  de  Londres  m'a  jette  en 

me  privant  du   plaisir   de   vous   Embrasser   sur  le 

champs/ 

A  brief  but  pleasant  reply  of  LeKain  printed  in  Boa- 
den  shows  that  the  French  actor  took  the  situation  in 
good  part,  but  had  to  leave  at  once  for  the  reopening  of 
the  Parisian  theatrical  season.^ 

The  next  letter,  to  William  Woodfall,  seems  to  show 
that  even  after  retiring  from  the  stage  Garrick  felt  some 
responsibility  to  the  Court  for  his  movements.  Wood- 
fall,  son  of  the  founder  of  the  Public  Advertiser,  was 

1  In  MS.  broken  here  and  at  me. 

2  The  address  of  this  letter  —  "At  Mnie  Violette's  over  against 
Burlington  House,  Piccadilly,  London,"  is  startling.  Mrs.  Garrick's 
mother .'' 

3  Private  Correspondence^  ii,  473. 


84  •  LETTERS  OF 

actor,  newspaper  man,  and  dramatist,  though  his  chief 
significance  lay  in  the  second  activity.  Richard  Savage 
had  intended  to  rewrite  his  Sir  Thomas  Overbiny^ 
produced  unsuccessfully  in  1 724,  but  died  before  com- 
pleting the  work.  The  MS.  came  into  the  hands  of 
Woodfall,  who,  changing  both  the  arrangement  of  the 
scenes  and  the  conduct  of  the  plot,  successfully  pro- 
duced it,  as  Garrick's  letter  shows,  at  Co  vent  Garden 
in  February,  1 777.  Garrick's  reference  to  ' '  your  bene- 
fit" is  interesting,  for  controversy  had  arisen  as  to  the 
rewardof  Woodfall  for  his  work.  The  manager,  Harris, 
and  the  author  agreed  to  refer  the  whole  matter  to  Gar- 
rick  and  Colman  the  elder.  They  decided  that  Wood- 
fall  should  have  the  receipts  of  two  nights,  less  the  usual 
charges  deducted  for  a  night.  This  the  manager  of 
Co  vent  Garden  said  should  be  £l00;  though  he  ad- 
mitted that  heretofore  the  sum  had  been  £70.  His  rea- 
son was  recent  improvements  in  the  theatre.  Woodfall 
felt  that  his  case  would  be  made  a  precedent  for  future 
authors  and  stood  his  ground  for  the  old  amount.  The 
matter  was  adjusted  by  the  offer  of  a  liberal  round  sum 
in  place  of  the  probable  profits  of  the  two  nights. 

Sunday  Fel/.  2  [l777.]' 
Thank  you.  Dear  Woodfall,  a  thousand  times  for  your 
kind  attention  to  me — had  you  known  my  anxiety  for 

I  Date  given  on  back  of  letter. 


DAVID  GARRICK  85 

you  & — yours,  you  would  not  think  this  very  friendly 
Care  of  me  thrown  away — I  was  not  merely  content  to 
have  Your  Account,  I  insisted  upon  Becket's'  going  & 
sending  me  his  thoughts — which  I  inclose  you — I  am 
glad  I  did  not  quite  destroy  it  in  lighting  my  Candle, 
he  seems  to  speak  more  confident  of  p'^°'^'&'°"^  Success 
than  Even  yourself — If  the  play  had  not  met  with  the 
publick  approbation,  I  would  never  have  given  my 
opinion  again — if  a  little  Critique  in  my  Way,"^  will  be 
of  any  Service,  I  will  give  it  you  when — ^Ever  you 
please — as  to  the  M — he  must  be  Dormente^  a  little, 
for  their  Majesties^  have  Employ 'd  me  Every  Minute 
— I  have  written  within  these  last  two  days  3  scenes  & 
2  fables — if  you  behave  well  &  don't  abuse  Managers 
perhaps  you  may  have  a  Slice  before  they  are  tasted  by 
Royalty — when  y^-  Benefit  Matters  are  to  be  setded  — 
You  cannot,  if  you  have  any  doubts,  have  a  better 
Chamber  Councillor  than  the  late  Manager,  who  will 
be  always  ready  to  give  you  yA  best  advice  he  can — so 
much  for  that  Overbury  forEver !  —  I  grieve  about 
Hull^ — &  somewhat  surpris'd  about  Hartley — all  a 
Lottery!  now  to  my  own  business  —  my  old  friend 

1  The  publisher,  who  was  a  trusted  friend  of  Garrick. 

2  Garrick's  fondness  for  writing  these  dramatic  criticisms  was  re- 
peatedly ridiculed  by  his  enemies.    3  When — closes  a  line  in  the  letter. 

4  Difficult  to  decipher  :  perhaps  dormant.  "  M — "  is  probably  Mur- 
phy, whose  Know  Your  Own  Mind  was  produced  at  Covent  Garden 
February  22.  5  The  two  patent  theatres. 

6  Hull  ^Xayedi  the  Earl  of  Nortkampton  in  Sir  Thomas  Overbury, 
and  Mrs.  Hartley  played  Isabella. 


86  LETTERS  OF 

Sampson'  has  said  in  his  Publick  Ad'  Yesterday  that  I 

was  in  London  to  visit  Mrs.  B as  I  am  here  upon 

the 's  Business,  &  got  leave  to  recover  myself  in 

y^  Country — they  may  take  it  ill  at  S*  James's — could 
you  desire  him  to  say  in  an  unparading  paragraph  from 

himself — that  he  was  Mistaken  about  Mr.  G that 

he  was  in  the  Country  &?  had  been  for  some  time  in  order 
to  recover  the  great  weakness  which  was  caused  by  his  late 
iUness.  — You  or  He  will  put  it  better  &  Modester  for 
Me  than  that,  which  I  have  written  upon  y^  gallop: 
pray  let  it  be  inserted  in  y^  same  paper  tomorrow  — 
HE  always  sees  y^  Publick  Ad*^ 

You  must  really  take  care  that  our  Friend  is  not 
suspected  of  the  M—  Thompson^  if  he  can  will  be  rude 

with  C ^  or  me — his  rudeness  I  would  ''''"a  ^° 

have — but  letting  the  Cat  (M.  Joncan'^)  out  of  y*"  bag 
— w^  be  y^  Devil :  I  promis'd  that  I  would  speak  to 
you  for  him  that  he  may  still  be  conceal'd — I  laugh 
at  him — but  he  is  too  foolish  upon  y^  Occasion  — 

Yours  Ever  most  Sincerely 
Always  in  a  hurry —  under  the  Signature  I  now 

rejoice  in 

T.  OvERBURY.^ 


1  MS.  difficult  to  read,  as  is  Mrs.  in  the  next  line,  which  may  be  7l/«5. 

2  For  a  letter  to  Captain  Thompson  and  some  account  of  him,  see 
pp.  97-101.  3  Colman,  probably.  4  MS.  difficult. 

5  Possibly  Garrick,  in  using  the  name,  was  recalling  that  Overbury 
thought  "  the  playhouse  more  necessary  in  a  well-governed  common- 
wealth than  the  school." 


DAVID  GARRICK  87 

Pray  don't  forget  y^  Contradictory 
paragraph  in  y^  Publick  Ad  — 
for  tomorrow  if  possible. 
I  shall  be  at  the  Adelphi '  to  Morrow  Evening. 

Drilling  the  Drury  Lane  company  in  difficult  plays, 
a  responsibility  which  we  have  already  seen  weighed  at 
times  on  Garrick,  was  by  no  means  the  worst  of  the 
worries  the  actors,  or  rather  the  actresses,  brought  him. 
Vanity,  ambition,  petty  jealousy  led  them,  one  and  all, 
Kitty  Clive,  Mrs.  Gibber,  Mrs.  Abingdon,  Mrs.  Yates, 
and  Miss  Pope,  to  write  him  irritating  letters  such  as 
one  of  Mrs.  Abingdon's  which  he  grimly  labeled  "An- 
other fal-lal  of  Mrs.  Abingdon. ' '  In  the  spring  of  1 759 
when  Garrick  was  preparing  to  produce  Arthur  Mur- 
phy's Orphan  ofChina^  with  Mrs.  Gibber  as  Mandane^ 
Murphy,  always  suspicious,  got  an  idea  that  some 
pretended  illness  of  Mrs.  Gibber  would  be  used  by  the 
manager  as  an  excuse  for  postponing  the  play.  Mur- 
phy therefore  arranged  to  have  Mrs.  Yates,  then  play- 
ing at  a  small  salary,  understudy  the  part.  Mrs.  Gibber 
fell  ill,  or  said  she  was  ill;  Murphy,  much  to  Garrick's 
surprise,  produced  Mrs.  Yates  ready  with  the  lines; 
and  the  play  ran  for  nine  nights,  lifting  Mrs.  Yates 
into  fame.  The  reference  to  all  this  in  the  opening  of 
the  following  letter  to  Dr.  John  Hawkes worth  does  not 

I  Garrick's  London  house. 


88  LETTERS  OF 

sound  as  if  the  refusal  of  Mrs.  Gibber  to  act  was  with 
the  connivance  of  Garrick.  One  of  Samuel  Foote's 
famous  mots  is  connected  with  this  illness  of  Mrs. 
Gibber.  He  and  Murphy  were  dining  together  when 
Mrs.  Gibber's  note  was  brought.  It  ended  with  the 
statement  that  she  was  "praying  most  earnestly  for  the 
success  of  the  piece."  "What  is  Mrs.  Gibber's  re- 
ligion ? ' '  said  Foote.  ' '  A  Roman  Gatholic,  I  believe, ' ' 
answered  Murphy.  "I  thought  so,"  said  Foote,  "  by 
her  praying  so  earnestly  for  the  dead." 

John  Hawkesworth  rose,  largely  by  favor,  from 
somewhat  pinched  conditions  and  hack  work  to  a  brief 
period  of  affluence  and  notoriety.  In  December,  1759, 
Garrick  produced  his  alteration  of  Sou  theme's  Oroo- 
noko,  and  from  time  to  time  the  actor  threw  consider- 
able hack  \\ork  in  his  way.  When  the  official  history 
of  Gaptain  Gook's  expedition  to  the  South  Seas  was  to 
be  written,  Garrick  by  intercession  with  Lord  Sand- 
wich got  the  job  for  Hawkesworth.  For  his  work,  so 
great  was  public  interest  in  the  voyage,  publishers  paid 
Hawkesworth  £6000.  The  results  of  the  appointment 
were,  however,  disastrous.  In  the  first  place,  Garrick  was 
angered,  apparently  at  what  he  considered  the  breach 
by  Hawkesworth  of  some  agreement  to  publish  through 
Garrick' s  friend  Becket,  and  the  friendship  of  the  actor 
decidedly  cooled.  More  important  by  far,  when  the 
book  appeared,  it  raised  charges  of  heterodoxy,  and 
even  of  too  great  freedom  in  reporting  certain  Indian 


GARRICK  AS  RICHARD  III 
WITH  NORFOLK 


^^^^^^^^^^m^^ivisi 

i^l 

"*"■         / 

^^di^ 

^U 

& 

^^^^^^^^^I^^^^^^^^^^Bkfl^  jSilnk  'i  -9 

1  ,.3 

UNlVt.. 


DAVID  GARRICK  89 

customs.  There  was  a  paper  war,  and  the  attacks 
so  preyed  on  his  mind  that  they  were  said  to  have 
hastened  his  death,  by  fever,  November  16,  1773. 

Thursday  1 9*^  [l  759 .] ' 

My  dear  Sm. 

Notwithstanding  my  late  Troubles  &  Disap- 
pointments (for  among  others,  you  must  know  that 
Mrs.  Cibber  has  sent  us  word  that  she  can't  perform  in 
the  New  Play,  so  that  the  holy  Week  was  very  ill  Em- 
ploy'd  by  Me — We  have  got  another  ^^a°°  ready  in 
y^  Part  &:  shall  certainly  act  it  on  Saturday — In  short, 
my  dear  Sir,  I  have  had  Nothing  but  care  &  Anxiety 
since  you  left  us,  &  some  revolutions  &  unexpected 
Matters  have  arisen  which  you  shall  know  when  I  see 
you,  that  will  absolutely  hinder  us  from  performing  the 
Masque^  next  Year,  if  it  was  all  ready  &  to  our  Wishes 
— however  we  will  loose  No  time  &  I  will  see  you  next 
Sunday  by  ten  o' Clock  if  agreeable  to  you — Mrf  Gar- 
rick  &  M^  Berenger^  will  likewise  partake  of  yf  Beef  & 
Pudding  &  will  be  with  Mrf  Hawkesworth  &  you  be- 
fore two — they  will  come  after  Me — so  let  not  Mr^ 


1  The  date  is  determined  bj  the  fact  that  Oroonoko  —  to  be  given 
"  next  Season  "  — was  produced  December  i,  1759. 

2  Probably  Hawkesworth's  fairy  play,  Edgar  and  Emmeline^  pro- 
duced January  31,  1 76 1. 

3  For  many  years  Gentleman  of  the  Horse  and  Equerry  to  His 
Majesty.  He  contributed  to  Edward  Moore's  publication,  The  World. 
For  Garrick's  kindness  to  him,  see  Fitzgerald,  Life,  ii,  418-19. 


90  LETTERS  OF 

Hawkesw^  lose  her  Church.  If  there  is  y*  least  Objec- 
tion to  our  coming  pray  let  me  know  it  as  freely  as  I 
propose  troubling  you — I  have  Much  to  say  to  you  & 
am  a  little  puzzled  about  M*"  Stanley;  has  he  done  quite 
right? — but  I  will  open  my  Budget  on  Monday  for  I 
am  quite  dead  with  fatigue  &  some  fretting. 
Yours  Ever  my  dear 
Sir 

Most  truly  & 
PS.  Affect^ 

What  time  sh-  you  D  Garrick 

like  best  nex*  Season 

for  Oroonoko;  I  wish  you 

would  hint  y^  Mind  to  me  for  on  Saturday 

Night  I  must  settle  w*.^  Another  Gentleman. 

Robert  Jephson,  solicitor,  soldier,  newspaper  writer, 
and  dramatist,  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1736.  Forster 
says  Horace  Walpole  declared  that  the  dramatic  works 
of  Mr.  Jephson,  who  had  happened  to  write  a  play  on 
the  Castle  of  Otranto^  were  destined  to  live  forever,  and 
that  his  Law  of  Lombardy  was  superior  to  all  Beau- 
mont and  Fletcher.'  After  the  production  of  Jephson's 
Braganza  in  1775  Walpole  addressed  to  him  three 
published  letters  with  the  title  :  Thoughts  on  Tragedy. 
While  living  in  England  as  a  half-pay  captain,  he  met, 

I  Life  of  Goldsmith^  ed.  1885,  John  Forster,  p.  410. 


DAVID  GARRICK  91 

as  the  intimate  friend  of  William  Gerard  Hamilton, 
the  literary  and  artistic  leaders  of  the  day,  —  Garrick, 
Johnson,  Reynolds,  and  Goldsmith.  He  was  often 
about  the  theatres,  and  it  is  said  that  Garrick  gave  him 
his  first  real  start  in  life  as  follows.  One  night  when 
Jephson  was  behind  the  scenes,  Garrick  chanced  to 
meet  in  the  coulisses  a  nobleman  who  was  going  to 
Ireland  as  Lord  Lieutenant,  and  on  the  spur  of  the 
moment  successfully  urged  his  young  friend's  claims 
for  a  place  in  his  retinue.  Jephson  afterwards  became 
Irish  Master  of  the  Horse. 

Shortly  before  this  letter  Isaac  Bickerstaffe,  who  had 
been  a  prolific  hack  writer  for  the  stage,  fled  to  France 
to  escape  prosecution  for  an  oflence  similar  to  that  for 
which  Oscar  Wilde  was  imprisoned.  From  St.  Malo, 
where  he  was  hiding,  Bickerstaffe  wrote  a  piteous  ap- 
peal to  Garrick  for  a  letter,  but  Garrick  put  it  aside 
with  the  written  comment :  ' '  From  that  poor  wretch 
Bicker  staff".  I  could  not  answer  it." 


th 


Hampton,  May  19 

Dear  Sm  ^ 

On  Eagle's  wings  immortal  Scandals  fly !  —  So 
Dryden  says,  &  his  Saying  is  verifyd  by  the  late  Acci- 
dent, which,  I  fear,  will  imbitter  the  Life  of  Miserable 
B . '  The  aflfair  is  reported  here  just  as  you  seem  to 

I  A  later  hand  has  added  in  pencil  (ickerstaffe). 


92  LETTERS  OF 

have  heard  it  —  He  is  gone,  &  has  written  to  Mf  Griffis 
the  Bookseller  a  letter,  which  shock'd  me  beyond 
imagination — aU  his  friends  hang  their  heads  &  grieve 
sincerely  at  his  Misfortune — My  wife  &  I  have  long 
thought  him  to  be  out  of  his  Mind — he  has  hurry 'd 
away  in  the  Midst  of  Conversation,  without  any  appar- 
ent reason  for  it  —  the  Story  '""a^  tell,  if  true,  is  a  most 
unaccountable  one ;  but  the  the  Watch,  Seal  &  ring  are 

in  the  Soldier's  hands  &  B would  not  claim  them, 

but  absconded — this  business  has  hurt  me  greatly,  as 
well  as  my  Wife,  the  Stage  has  a  great  loss,  for  he 
was  preparing  several  pieces  that  would  have  been  both 
profitable,  &  creditable  — 

Your  WagstafF'  ode  I  receiv'd  &  think  it  has  great 
Merit  with  some  few  Objections — I  should  be  glad  to 
wait  upon  M.""  Courtney  *  when  he  comes  to  London — 
— his  Pen  I  hope  will  find  better  Employment  here, 
when  I  say  better,  I  mean  more  Solid  Glory,  than  y^ 
Mere  vox  Populi . 

I  have  been  told  of  an  Ode  of  Yours  but  I  have  not 
yet  seen  it — I  have  desir'd  a  friend  of  Mine  to  search 
y^  Publick  Advertiser  for  there  I  was  told,  it  was  printed 
— how  have  you  avoided  the  points  of  Swords  in  y*^ 
[late]  literary  Warfare,^  those  of  wit  [seem]  to  be 

1  Some  of  Jephson's  contributions  to  the  Dublin  Mercury  were  re- 
printed as  The  Bachelor^  or  Speculations  of  Jeoffry  Wagstaffe. 

2  A  writer  for  the  Government  under  the  signature "  Mercator." 
Under  Townshend  he  held  an  office  of  £300  per  annum. 

3  This  probably  refers  to  Jephson's  satirical  epistle,  published  in 


DAVID  GARRICK  93 

push'd  [?]  all  on  y""  Si[de  of]  y'  Question— M?  G 
joins  her  best  wishes  to  Mine,  with  as  much  ^"a"^  as 
you  please  &  beg  they  may  be  presented  to  yf  Lady 

I  am  D*"  Sir 
Always  in  a  Your  most  oblgd 

hurry  humb  Servt 

D  Garrick 

James  Lacy,  from  1747  to  his  death  in  1774,  partner 
in  Drury  Lane  with  Garrick,  was  often  very  exasper- 
ating. After  Garrick 's  return  from  the  Continent  in 
1765,  Lacy,  presuming  on  his  success  in  management 
during Garrick's  absence,  began  to  take  to  himself  some 
of  his  partner's  functions,  though  their  contract  clearly 
excluded  him  therefrom.  This  difficulty  in  1766  was 
smoothed  over,'  but  in  the  summer  of  1768  Lacy  be- 
came troublesome  again.  This  time  he  wished  to  get 
rid  of  George  Garrick,  who  was  a  kind  of  acting 
manager  at  Drury  Lane,  and  entirely  devoted  to  his 
brother's  interest.  In  the  midst  of  the  disagreement 
Garrick  wrote  to  his  friend  John  Paterson,  "I  have 
(and  I  believe  you  know  it)  withstood  very  great  temp- 
tations to  be  easy  at  Drury-lane,  and  to  end  my  the- 
atrical life  there ;  but  fate,  and  Mr.  Lacy,  who  seems  to 

1771,  purporting  to  be  written  by  Gorges  Edmond  Howard,  a  dull 
legal  compiler  and  unsuccessful  dramatist,  to  George  Faulkner,  a  Dub- 
lin publisher,  noted  for  his  pompous  and  pedantic  verbosity.  See  Diet. 
Nat.  Biog.  under  Jephson. 

I  Private  Correspondence,  i,  223-24. 


94  LETTERS  OF 

be  alone  insensible  of  my  merit  and  services,  will  drive 
me  away,  and  they  shall  have  their  ends.  .  .  .  Mr. 
Lacy  thinks  and  speaks  very  injuriously  of  my  brother, 
and  has  lately  done  some  things  which  I  think  shows  a 
spirit  contrary  to  that  of  our  articles,  and  the  terms  of 
our  reconciliation  settled  before  you." '  The  letter  now 
printed  shows  the  warmth  of  relationship  between  the 
brothers. 

Hampton  Monday 
Night, 

[Circa  August  1 5th,  1 768  ?] ' 

Dear  George. 

Your  Affair  with  Lacy  cannot  be  in  better  hands 
than  those  of  our  friend  Chamberlain^ — He  is  clever, 
knows  Lacifs  Character,  &  is  well  assur'd  that  What 
we  Ask  is  a  triffle  to  what  he  (Lacy)  ought  to  have  done 
on  his  own  Accord  — 

I  would  not  have  You  go  to  Lacy,  &  could  I  have 
wishd  a  Person  to  transact  y^  matter,  it  Sh.  be  Cham- 
berlain— therefore  leave  the  Business  to  him  &  I  will 
through  you  tell  him  my  thoughts  of  y^  Person  he  is  to 
treat  with,  &  *^  thing  he  is  to  treat  about.  I  have  fix'd 
my  resolution,  that  if  he  does  not  make  it  Easy  to  You, 

1  Private  Correspondence,  x^t^w. 

2  Idem,  I,  310-312;  three  letters  connected  with  this  quarrel  are 
dated  August  20th-24th. 

3  Possibly  Mason  Chamberlain,  an  original  member  of  the  Royal 
Academy.  Died,  1787. 


DAVID  GARRICK  95 

&  consequently  to  Me,  I  will  never  upon  my  honor, 
let  what  will  be  y^  Consequences,  go  on  w^  him  as  I 
have  done.  It  is  monstrous  that  he  sh^  seem  to  be  (for 
it  is  only  a  Seeming)  insensible  of  my  very  great,  nay 
foolish  Generosity  to  him  who  has  return 'd  it  so  un- 
gratefully, the  last  year,  my  playing  alone  brought  to 
y^  house,  between  5  &  6  thousand  pounds — I  got  up  y^ 
Pantomime  for  w""^  I  might  have  had  a  benefit  &  got 
200  p'^^  for  it — I  w^  not  let  Barry  or  myself  perform  for 
y^  Peep  behind  &c,'  &  you  know  what  [fame?]""  I  have 
given  to  yhouse  in  altering  Romeo — Every  Man,  &c 
&c  &c  without  fee  or  reward — now  my  dear  George — 
this  is  the  ground  that  I  w^.  have  our  Friend  take — let 
him  talk  y^  Matter  over  with  Laci/  as  from  himself — 
&  tell  him  that  "^a  "  his  behaviour  to  my  Brother  will  de- 
pend mt/  future  behaviour  to  him — that  He  must  tell 
Lacy  as  his  friend — that  I  have  had  great  inducements 
to  quit  Drury  Lane,  &  if  he  sh'!  be  riotous^  M'i  Cham- 
berlain may  insinuate  that  M^  Yorke"*  has  given  it  as 
his  opinion  that  I  may  sell  toMorrow  without  his  leave, 
or  giving  him  y^  refusal — this  I  say  in  case  of  his  being 
furious,  for  we  must  carry  our  point  at  all  Events  — 
We  must  have  y'  Addition  to  y'  Salary  without  any 


1  The  Peep  Behind  the  Curtain^  by  Garrick,  was  produced  in  1767. 

2  MS.  nearly  illegible. 

3  Written  over  and  blurred. 

4  Charles  Yorke  (Lord  Chancellor),  1722-1770.    See  a  letter  of 
his,  Private  Correspondence^  i,  279. 


96  LETTERS  OF 

Conditions  of  my  doing  this  or  that,  which  he  w^  meanly 
barter  for — 

If  he  could  nobly  give  You  y^  200  p'l^  he  has  taken 
from  me  &.  give  it  you,  he  sh'^  have  it  again  ten  fold  — 
but  he  is  incapable  of  it,  as  I  was  foolishly  Easy  in 
giving  it  up  — 

Lacy  must  be  frighten 'd — if  Chamberlain  could  set- 
tle this  Matter  so  that  I  might  think  well  of  Lacy,  I 
should  be  Easy  in  my  Mind — but  I  am  sick  of  his 
meatiy  ungrateful^  wretched  behaviour — I  will  prove 
to  the  Man  that  I  am  cheaper  than  y^  Cheapest  of  y' 
lowest  part  of  his  Company — I  have  a  thought —  Sup- 
pose, you  were  to  attend  M^  Chamberlain  to  Richmond 
or  to  Isleworth  in  his  way  to  Lacy's,  on  Wednesday 
Morn?  I  will  be  w!!^  you  at  Eleven  or  12  o' Clock  sooner, 
or  later  (as  he  pleases)  &  at  any  house  you  will  appoint 
we  can  talk  over  more  in  a  q'  of  an  hour  than  we  can 
write  in  a  q*^  of  a  Year  —  You  then  may  drive  with  Me 
if  you  please,  &  we  shall  know  w!  to  do — If  you  can't 
conveniently  come,  I  will  meet  him  on  Wed^  at  his  own 
time  &  place,  &  then  will  settle  y^  Whole  —  Send  me 
Word  toMorrow  Night,  &  I  will  do  as  you  bid  me  — 
I  am  so  angry  wll!  Lacy — that  whatEver 

plan  Chamberlain  &  you  settle  I  will  pursue 

most  punctually 

Ever  EverY? 

D.  G 


FACIAL  EXPRESSION  OF  GARRICK 
IN 'ROMEO' 


.AH' I/-. 


^NpdUfO 


forn^ 


DAVID  GARRICK  97 

No  charge  against  the  actor-manager  is  more  often 
heard  than  that  he  sees  nothing  commendable  in  any 
play  which  will  not  let  him  shine.  The  widespread 
feeling  of  this  sort  in  regard  to  Garrick,  Horace  Wal- 
pole  phrased  strongly  in  connection  with  his  play,  The 
Mysterious  Mother.  "I  have  finished  my  Tragedy," 
he  wrote.  "  .  .  .1  am  not  yet  intoxicated  enough  with 
it  to  think  it  would  do  for  the  stage,  though  I  wish  to 
see  it  acted,  — nor  am  I  disposed  to  expose  myself  to 
the  impertinences  of  that  jackanapes  Garrick,  who  lets 
nothing  appear  but  his  own  wretched  stuff,  or  that  of 
creatures  still  duller,  who  suffer  him  to  alter  their  pieces 
as  he  pleases." '  On  the  other  hand  three  letters  of 
Garrick's,  to  Captain  Thompson,  Hannah  More,  and 
Lord  Bute,  criticising  plays  by  the  first  two  and  by 
John  Home,  show  that  he  was  a  sound  critic.  What 
he  says  in  the  letter  to  Thompson  of  the  relation  of 
character  to  fable  might  well  be  taken  as  a  first  prin- 
ciple by  young  playwrights,  and  posterity  has  corro- 
borated his  judgments  on  the  other  two  plays.  Indeed 
the  Dramatica  Biographia  says  of  Thompson's  Hobby- 
Horse:  "  It  would  do  discredit  to  any  Author  that  ever 
existed." 

Captain  Edward  Thompson  illustrates  the  treatment 
Garrick  so  often  met  from  those  whom  he  befriended. 
After  an  adventurous  career  he  had  by  1 762  reached 

1  Letters  of  Horace  Walpole^  ed.  C.  D.  Yonge,  ii,  8i. 


98  LETTERS  OF 

the  rank  of  Captain  in  the  Navy.  He  then  withdrew 
from  it  and  devoted  himself  to  writing,  in  the  main 
ephemeral  verse  of  a  low  order  both  in  subject —  The 
Meretriciad^  The  Courtezan ,  etc. — and  in  quality.  In 
1766  Garrick  produced  his  Hobby-Horse^  which  failed. 
Garrick  show  ed  him  repeated  kindnesses,  among  others 
procuring  for  him  in  1772  the  commission  of  com- 
mander. This  Garrick  did  in  spite  of  Thompson's 
satire,  Trinculd' s  Trip  to  the  Jubilee^  on  the  actor's 
pet  spectacle,  the  Shakespeare  Jubilee  at  Stratford  in 
1769.  But  in  1776  a  letter  appeared  in  the  London 
Packet  charging  Garrick  with  conspiracy  to  destroy 
Thompson's  play,  The  Syrens^  then  acting  at  Covent 
Garden.  Bate,  the  proprietor  of  the  paper,  was  so  in- 
dignant when  he  learned  the  facts,  that  he  published 
a  reply,  signed  Mermaid^  letting  the  town  know  of  Gar- 
rick's  many  kindnesses  to  the  man.  This  letter  Thomp- 
son tried  to  fasten  on  Garrick,  who  had  Bate  swear  to 
an  affidavit  as  to  the  authorship  and  thus  wrung  an 
abject  apology  from  Thompson.  It  is  sad  to  turn  from 
the  very  friendly  letter  here  printed,  with  its  evident 
enjoyment  of  Thompson's  letters  from  Scotland,  to  the 
words  with  which  Garrick  closed  their  relations  after 
the  final  affi-ont  in  1 776 : 

Be  assured,  Sir,  that  I  have  as  totally  forgotten 
whatever  you  may  have  written  to  me  from  every  part 
of  the  world  as  I  will  endeavour  to  forget  that  such  a 


DAVID  GARRICK  99 

person  as  the  writer  and  his  unkindness  ever  existed, 
and  was  once  connected  with,  Sir, 

Your  most  humble  servant, 

D.  Garrick.' 


Dear  Sir 


Hampton 

Sep*.  12/66 


Let  me  thank  you  most  sincerely  for  yl  very 
Entertaining,  &  obliging  letter. 

I  am  sorry  that  you  so  feelingly  lament  the  loss  of  y'. 
Patron  ^  —  He  is  only  retir'd  for  a  While,  that  he  may 
return  with  more  power  &  Splendor.  I  don't  like  your 
remarks  upon  Fortune,  she  is  certainly  dim-sighted  at 
times,  but  .  .  .  you  have  at  present  no  reason  for 
Complaint  —  consider  my  dear  Captain  —  that  you  are 
Young,  Stout,  ''a''^  great  health,  great  Spirits  &  one  of 
y!  finest  women  in  England  with  you  —  what  y^  Devil 
would  you  have  ?  ....  let  me  hear  no  more,  my  good 
Captain,  of  y^  Complaints  against  fortune  loss  of  friends 
&c  &c  —  remember  the  burden  of  y^  old  Song  —  a  light 
heart  &c. 

yr.  Account  of  Scotland  pleas'd  me  much  ^  —  I  read 


I  Private  Corresfottdence^  ii,  146. 
3  Garrick  himself  ? 

3  After  1764  Thompson  lived  for  some  time  in  Scotland,  which  he 
"  described  with  that  virulence  which  the  examples  of  some  eminent 


100  LETTERS  OF 

it  to  our  friend  Colman  yesterday,  &  we  laughed 
heartily  —  y^  accounting  for  their  filth  by  way  of  pre- 
servation against  y!  Plague,  &  ye  broken- winded 
Priests  are  admirable  touches;  You  must  give  me  some 
more  from  y^  fountain  head,  &  we  will  send  you  some 
News  from  the  banks  of  y^  Thames  in  return  for  it  — 
Colman  sends  his  Love  &:  Best  wishes  to  you  —  & 
hopes  to  hear  from  you — he  is  still  hoarse,  &  his 
friends  are  alarm'd  about  him  —  M^  Lacy  thinks  he's 
in  great  danger,  I  think,  he's  past  it,  &  begins,  in  spite 
of  his  hoarseness  to  be  himself  again. 

I  am  sorry  you  did  not  see  Aikin,'  but  I  ''l^^  a 
very  good  Idea  of  him  from  what  you  have  pick'd  up 
—  I  have  Ever  spoke  my  Sentiments  to  you  about  y^ 
dramatic  Matters,  &  I  will  now,  with  a  freedom,  that 
you  will  not  dislike  because  it  is  the  result  of  ^^^  good 
Wishes  &  good  liking  to  you,  &  proceeds  from  my 
honest  Judgment ;  tho  there  were  good  things  in  the 
Hobbyhorse,  &  some  Character;  I  never  approv'd  it  — 
I  always  was  afraid  of  it,  &  foretold  the  Event — it 
wants  fable  —  Action,  Action,  Action,  are  words  better 
apply 'd  to  y^  Drama,  than  to  Oratory — be  assur'd  *^^' 
without  some  comic  Situations  resulting  from  the  fable. 


persons  of  that  period  had  rendered  fashionable,  and  which  cannot  be 
sufficiently  condemned."  Bt'og.  Dratn.  i,  pt.  ii,  703. 

I  Probably  Francis  Aickin,  late  a  member  of  Garrick's  company.  By 
1774  he,  too,  had  grievances.  See  letters  in  Private  Correspondence, 
1.651-55- 


DAVID  GARRICK  loi 

the  Hohby  horse  will  not  run  y*  race  we  could  wish  it — 
all  the  knowledge  of  Character,  with  y^  finest  Dialogue 
would  be  lost  without  a  proper  Vehicle,  to  interest  y" 
Audience.  You  will  throw  away  much  powder  &  Shot, 
if  you  don't  ram  down  both,  &  compress  them  w-  a 
good  fable ;  there  is  yf  great  failure,  &  were  I  worthy  to 
advise  you  (I  am  an  old  pilot  &  have  brought  some 
leaky  vessels  into  port)  I  would  not  write  a  line  till  I 
had  fix'd  upon  a  good  Story  &  consider'd  it  well  upon 
paper  —  "  yo"  don't  ^^^  ^jjj  g^jj  without  rudder,  compass 
or  ballast — whatEver  you  send  to  me,  I  will  read  it  as 
I  would  any  Brother's  &  give  you  my  opinion  like  a 
Brother — You  on  the  other  hand,  must  not  be  dis- 
pleased with  my  frankness  —  &  if  you  should,  I  had 
much  rather  you  s^**  be  angry  at  my  not  thinking  w*?" 
You,  than  curse  me  for  a  Miscarriage  upon  the  Stage. 
My  Brother  is  in  Staffordshire — W^  Garrick  sends 
her  Compliments,  I  beg  mine  to  Yl^  Lady  &  may  Suc- 
cess attend  y^  &  Fortune  see  better  for  y^  future.  I  am 
Dear  Sir 

most  truly  y^  hum'.^ 

Ser! 

D.  Garrick. 

Samuel  Johnson  said  of  Hannah  More,  "I  was 
obliged  to  speak  to  Miss  Reynolds,  to  let  her  [Miss 
More]  know  that  I  desired  she  would  not  flatter  me  so 
much."  Somebody  on  this  observed:  "She  flatters 


102  LETTERS  OF 

Garrick."  Johnson  answered:  "  She  is  in  the  right  to 
flatter  Garrick.  She  is  in  the  right  for  two  reasons ; 
first,  because  she  has  the  world  with  her,  who  have 
been  praising  Garrick  these  thirty  years ;  and  secondly, 
because  she  is  rewarded  for  it  by  Garrick.  Why  should 
she  flatter  me?  I  can  do  nothing  for  her. "  '  If  a  boyhood 
friend  of  Garrick' s  chose  to  put  such  an  interpretation 
on  the  deep  friendship  of  Hannah  More  for  Garrick, 
what  wonder  that  the  world  in  general  constantly  mis- 
interpreted him ! 

The  following  letter  shows  one  of  the  ways  in  which 
Miss  More  was  "rewarded" — by  detailed  and  help- 
ful criticism  of  her  second  play,  the  Fatal  Falsehood, 
produced  at  Drury  Lane  shortly  after  Garrick 's  death. 
On  October  lo,  1778,  Miss  More  wrote  to  Garrick: 
"I  have  taken  the  liberty,  dear  Sir,  to  send  you  my 
first  act.  I  have  greatly  changed  my  plan,  as  you  will 
see:  Emmeline  is  now  my  heroine,  and  Orlando  my  hero. 
Be  so  good  as  to  treat  me  with  your  usual  candour,  and 
tell  me  how  I  have  failed  or  succeeded  in  unfolding  the 
story  or  characters;  and,  above  all,  if  you  can  recollect 
any  other  tragedy  that  it  is  like,  as  I  shall  be  most  care- 
ful of  that."^  In  the  Fatal  Falsehood,  as  printed,  any 
trained  reader  of  plays  must  at  once  recognize  the  truth 
of  Garrick 's  criticism  as  to  the  weakness  in  the  scene 


1  BoswelVs  Johnson,  ed.  A.  Birrell,  il,  296. 

2  Private  Correspondence,  li,  315. 


DAVID  GARRICK  103 

between  the  two  friends,  which  persisted,  and  as  to  the 
slight  complication  the  "fable "  shows. 

Hampton  Ahv^ 

23^ 177%. 
My  dear  Madam 

I  have  read  the  three  Acts  &  laid  them  by,  & 
to  them  again  —  there  are  some  Objections,  which  may- 
be alter'd  when  we  Meet,  &  can  read  them  together: 
the  two  next  Acts  must  determine  of  the  former  three 
— there  are  some  Abrupt  Endings  of  y^  Acts  or  rather 
Scenes,  &  I  think  y^  Scene,  w*"!"  sh'!  be  capital  between 
Rivers  &  Orlando  in  y^  3*^  Act  not  yet  warm  enough  — 
the  last  should  inquire  whether  some  Intelligence  about 
his  Family,  or  some  female  Connection  may  not  lie 
heavy  upon  his  Mind  —  Why  sh^  he  doubt  of  his 
Father's  Consent  for  his  union  w*!"  Emil'me?  If  that 
had  been  mark'd  or  known  before  it  would  ha\e  done; 
&  perhaps  the  Father's  Objecting  to  marry  his  Daugh- 
ter to  a  stranger  &:c  might  be  an  addition  to  the  Fable 
—  however  do  not  alter  till  I  have  consider'd  y^  whole 
— You  ha^'e  good  time  before  you,  &  we  ^i."  turn  it 
about  in  our  Minds  with  Advantage  —  ^^T  the  Father's 
Objections  might  arise  some  good  Scenes  between  the 
Son  &  him,  &  y^  Daughter  &  him  —  then  indeed  Rivers 
might  mistake,  &  Orlando  being  afraid  to  tell,  might 
create  an  animated  Scene  and  more^confusion  _  ^^^  j^^  j^ 

alone  till  I  see  y^  Whole — I  have  been  very  ill  with  a 


104  LETTERS  OF 

Cold  &  Cough  w*^.^  tear  my  head  &  breast  to  pieces  — 
has  the  Sincere,  little,  very  little  Gentleman '  deign'd  to 
visit  you  —  I  have  had  such  proofs  of  his  insincerity  to 
me  upon  many  Occasions  that  I  am  more  astonish'd, 
than  displeas'd  at  his  Conduct  —  7k/?  Cholmondeley^ 
gave  him  a  fine  Dressing  at  S^  Jos:  Reynold's.  He  was 
quite  pale  &  distress'd  for  y^  Whole  Company  took  my 
Part — among  other  friendly  Matters  —  he  said,  that  it 
was  no  Wonder,  Wits  were  severe  upon  Me,  for  that 
I  was  always  Striking  \\i^  y^  keen  Edge  of  Satire  all  that 
came  in  my  Way  —  M"  C.  said  it  was  if  reverse  of  my 
Character  ^  that  I  was  y"  gayest  Companion  without 
Malignity — nay^  that  I  was  too  prudish^  £s?  carry"* d  my 
dislike  of  Satire  too  far^  &f  that^  she  was  surprised  to 
hear  a  particular  Friend  of  Mine  so  Mistake  Me  so — 
this  was  a  dagger  —  for  all  were  against  him  —  but  let 
us  brush  this  Cobweb  from  our  thoughts  —  I  have  sent 
some  Nonsense  to  the  Arab^ — dull  truth  without  Po- 
etry—  I  forgot  her  Christian  name,  so  have  given  the 
Mahometan  one : 

I  wish  I  could  have  written  better  verses  for  her  book, 
&  prov'd  a  little  better  title  to  my  Place  than  I  have 


1  Probably  Dr.  Monsey.  See  Private  Correspondence^  ii,  288-89, 
for  three  letters  which  apparently  explain  the  critic's  irritation. 

2  Polly  Woffington,  sister  of  the  famous  Peg  Woffington,  married 
the  Rev.  Cholmondeley,  a  nephew  of  Lord  Cholmondeley.  She  had 
some  of  her  sister's  conversational  quickness  and  skill. 

3  Apparently  pet  name  for  one  of  the  More  sisters.  She  was  mak- 
ing a  collection  of  autographs. 


DAVID  GARRICK  105 

done — I  have  finish 'd  my  prol :  &  Epil :  for  Fielding's 
play,'  &  have  been  very  lucky  —  I  have  in  y^  first  intro- 
duced the  Characters  "^  Tom  Jones  &  Joseph  Andrews 
pleading  at  y^  Bar  of  y^  Publick  for  y^  Play  —  it  is  really 
tolerably  done  —  would  have  sent  it,  had  I  a  written 
Copy  —  say  nothing  about  it  — 

Yours  my  dearest 

Nine  at  all  Times 

&  in  all  places 

D.  Garrick 
Madam  wraps  her 
Love  up  with  Mine 
to  keep  it  warm,  for 
you,  &  your  Sisters  — 

John  Stuart,  Lord  Bute,  on  first  coming  to  London 
in  1745,  showed  his  fondness  for  acting  by  his  enjoy- 
ment of  masquerades,  and  of  plays  which  he  gave  with 
his  relations.  It  was  said  of  him,  as  a  patron  of  letters, 
that  he  rarely  favored  any  one  outside  his  party  and 
that  he  was  over-partial  to  the  Scotch.  In  1 756  his  favor 
was  something  not  to  be  treated  lightly  by  Garrick,  for 
he  was  the  companion  and  confidant  of  the  future  King 
of  England  and  his  relations  with  his  mother,  the  Prin- 
cess, were  so  intimate  as  even  to  rouse  scandal.  When, 

I  His  long  lost  play  :  T/te  Fathers,  or  the  Good-Natured  Man,  pro- 
duced at  Drury  Lane,  November  30,  1778.  See,  for  prologue  and  epi- 
logue, Garrick's  Poetical  Works,  11,  356-59. 


106  LETTERS  OF 

therefore,  he  recommended  to  Garrick's  attention  the 
play,  Douglas,  of  the  Scotch  clergyman  John  Home, 
the  manager  found  himself  in  exactly  the  position  he 
once  feelingly  described  to  his  friend  John  Hoadley : 
' '  I  have  a  Play  with  Me,  sent  to  me  by  My  Lord 
Chesterfield — but  it  won't  do,  &  yet  recommended  by 
his  Lordship  &  patroniz'd  by  Ladies  of  Quality :  what 
can  I  say  or  do?  must  I  belye  my  Judgment  or  run 
the  risque  of  being  thought  impertinent,  &  disobliging 
y^  great  Folks?  "  As  the  following  letter'  will  show  any 
one  who  knows  the  play  of  Douglas,  Garrick  refused  it 
on  good  grounds,  and  courageously;  yet  there  were  no 
charges  too  mean  to  be  made  as  to  the  reasons  for  the 
refusal.  John  Forster,  who  seemed  to  feel  that  he  could 
not  exalt  Goldsmith  without  decrying  Garrick,  repeated 
with  relish  the  gossip  of  the  hour  —  which  the  letter 
here  printed  goes  far  to  refute.  Douglas,  Forster  wrote, 
' '  was  not  acted  at  the  Theatre  Royal  in  Drury-Lane, 
because  Garrick,  who  shortly  afterwards  so  compla- 
cently exhibited  himself  in  Agis,  &  in  the  Siege  ofAqui- 
leia,  &  other  ineffable  dullness  from  the  same  hand 
(wherein  his  quick  suspicious  glance  detected  no  Lady 
Randolphs),  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  charac- 
ter o^  Douglas.  What  would  come  with  danger  from  the 
full  strength  of  Mrs.  Gibber,  he  knew  might  be  safely 

I  Extracts  from  this  letter  were  printed  in  the  Quarterly  Review^ 
June,  1868,  bj  Sir  Theodore  Martin.  See  also  his  Monographs^  (1906) 
pp. 62-64. 


D.  GARRICK,  ACTEUR  ANGLOIS ' 


I 


L 


DAVID  GARRICK  107 

left  to  the  enfeebled  powers  of  Mrs.  Woffington :  whose 
Lady  Randolph  would  leave  him  no  one  to  fear  but 
Barry,  at  the  rival  house.  But  despairing  also  of  Covent- 
garden  when  refused  by  Drury-lane,  &  crying  plague 
on  both  their  houses,  to  the  north  had  good  parson 
Home  returned,  and,  though  not  till  eight  months  were 
gone,  sent  back  his  play  endorsed  by  the  Scottish  capi- 
tal. There  it  had  been  acted;  and  from  the  beginning 
of  the  world,  from  the  beginning  of  Edinburgh,  the 
like  of  that  play  had  not  been  known  —  Even  puffery 
of  Home  must  have  languished,  but  for  that  resolve  of 
the  presbytery  to  eject  from  his  pulpit  a  parson  who  had 
written  a  play.  It  carried  Douglas  to  London;  secured 
a  nine  nights'  reasonable  wonder;  and  the  noise  of  the 
carriages  on  their  way  to  Covent-garden  to  see  the 
Norval  of  silver-tongued  Barry  was  now  giving  sud- 
den headaches  to  David  Garrick."  Had  John  Forster 
read  Douglas?  If  he  had,  must  he  not  have  seen  that 
it  had  no  qualities  to  warrant  expectation  of  the  suc- 
cess it  attained,  and  that  its  initial  success  could  have 
come  only  from  special  temporary  conditions  in  Edin- 
burgh? That  Garrick  should  have  acted  other  plays  of 
Home,  even  though  poor,  is  not  surprising.  It  is  one 
thing  to  refuse  a  play  from  an  unknown  dramatist,  it 
is  something  wholly  different  to  insist  on  one's  own 
judgment  of  a  play  by  the  same  person  when  he  has 
become  famous  and  the  public  demands  a  chance  to  see 
whatever  he  has  written.  What  manager  could  with- 


108  LETTERS  OF 

stand  that  demand  and  hold  his  public?  The  following 
letter  proves  that  no  such  petty  and  silly  reason  as  fear 
that  Mrs.  Gibber  as  Lady  Randolph  might  overshadow 
him  as  Douglas  determined  his  decision  against  a  play 
at  the  time  probably  even  more  faulty  than  it  now  ap- 
pears, for  changes  lay  between  its  submission  to  Gar- 
rick  and  its  final  production. 

Julyt/.\0^  1756 

My  Lord. 

It  is  with  yf  Greatest  Uneasiness  that  I  trouble 
Your  Lordship  with  my  Sentiments  of  M^  Hume's 
Tragedy — The  little  Knowledge  I  had  of  him,  gave 
me  the  warmest  inclination  to  Serve  him,  which  I 
should  have  done  most  sincerely,  had  the  Means  been 
put  into  my  hands — but  upon  my  Word  &  credit  it  is 
not  in  my  Power  to  introduce  Douglas  upon  y^  Stage 
with  y^  least  advantage  to  the  Author,  &  the  Managers 
—  the  Tragedy  (if  possible)  is  in  its  present  Situation, 
As  unfit  for  representation  as  it  was  before,  &  Your 
Lordship  must  be  sensible,  that  it  "^^a*^"*  all  y^  requisites 
of  y^  Drama  to  carry  it  ev'n  through  y^  two  first  Acts 
— M^  Hume  is  certainly  a  Gentleman  of  Learning  & 
Parts,  but  I  am  [as  certain]  that  Either  his  Genius 
is  not  adapted  to  Dramatic  Compositions  or  that  he 
wants  the  proper  Exercise  &  Experience  to  shew  it  to 
advantage : 

I  am  oblig'd  My  Lord  to  be  free  in  y^  Delivery  of  my 


DAVID  GARRICK  109 

opinion  upon  this  Subject,  as  I  think,  both  M5  Hume's 
&  my  Reputation  concern'd  in  it :  I  should  have  had  y^ 
highest  Pleasure  in  forwarding  any  Performance  which 
Yf  Lordship  should  please  to  recommend ;  but  Nobody 
knows  as  well  as  You  do,  that  all  y^  Endeavors  of  a 
Patron  &  the  Skill  of  a  Manager,  will  avail  Nothing,  if 
the  dramatic  Requisites  &  Tragic  Force  are  Wanting 
— I  am  so  strongly  convinc'd  that  this  is  the  case  of  y^ 
Tragedy  in  Question,  that  I  durst  not  upon  any  Ace* 
venture  it  upon  y^  Stage  of  Drury  Lane,  &  I  would 
stake  all  my  credit,  that  the  Author  would  sorely  repent 
it,  if  Ever  it  should  be  Exhibited  upon  any  Theatre — 
As  I  ought  to  Second  these  strong  Assertions  with  some 
few  Reasons,  I  will  Endeavor,  for  Yf  Lordship's  & 
Mr  Hume's  Satisfaction,  to  point  out  the  (what  I  think) 
insurmountable  Objections  to  the  Tragedy. 

The  Story  is  radically  defective  &  most  improbable 
in  those  Circumstances  which  produce  the  dramatic 
Action — for  instance — Lady  Barnet  continuing  Seven 
Years  togeather  in  that  melancholly  miserable  State,  just 
as  if  it  had  happen'd  y^  Week  before,  without  discover- 
ing yf  real  Cause ;  &  on  a  Sudden  opening  yf  Whole 
Affair  to  Anna  without  any  stronger  reason,  than  what 
might  have  happen'd  at  any  other  Time  since  the  Day 
of  her  Misfortunes — this  I  think,  w''^  is  yf  foundation 
of  yf  Whole,  Weak  &  unaccountable — The  two  first 
Acts  pass  in  tedious  Narratives,  without  anything  of 
Moment  being  plan'd  or  done — the  introducing  Doug- 


no  LETTERS  OF 

las  is  y^  Chief  Circumstance,  &  yet,  as  it  is  manag'd, 
it  has  no  Effect ;  It  is  romantic  for  want  of  those  prob- 
able Strokes  of  Art,  w''.''  yf  first  Poets  make  use  of  to 
reconcile  strange  Events  to  y^  Minds  of  an  Audience — 
Lady  Bamefs  speaking  to  Glenalvon  imediatly  in  ht- 
half  o^  Bandolph,  forgetting  her  own  indelible  Sorrows, 
&  Glenalvon' s  Suspicions  &  Jealousy  upon  it  (without 
saying  anything  of  his  ^'"i*""'  Love  for  y^  Lady,  who 
cannot  be  of  a  Love-inspiring  Age)  are  premature  and 
unnatural — But  these  and  many  other  Defects,  w'^.''  I 
will  not  trouble  Y"^  Lord*!  with,  might  be  palliated  & 
alter'd  perhaps  ;  but  the  Unaffecting  conduct  of  y? 
Whole  &  which  will  always  be  y*"  Case,  when  the  Story 
is  rather  told,  than  represented ;  when  the  Characters 
do  not  talk  or  behave  suitably  to  y^  Passions  imputed  to 
them,  &  the  Situation  in  Which  they  are  plac'd;  when 
the  Events  are  such  as  cannot  naturally  be  supposed  to 
rise ;  &  the  Language  too  often  below  the  most  familiar 
Dialogue;  these  are  the  insurmountable  Objections, 
which  in  my  Opinion,  will  Ever  make  Douglas  unfit  for 
y^  Stage, — In  short  there  is  no  one  Character  or  Pas- 
sion which  is  strongly  interesting  &  supported  through 
y^  five  Acts — 

Glenalvon  is  a  Villain  without  plan  or  Force;  He 
raises  our  Expectation  in  a  Soliloquy  at  y^  first,  but 
sinks  Ever  after  —  h^.  Barnet  is  unaccountably  work'd 
upon  by  Glenalv"  to  believe  his  Lady  fond  of  Randolph, 
&  the  Youth  is  as  unaccountably  attack'd  by  L^  Barnet, 


DAVID  GARRICK  in 

&  looses  his  Life  for  a  suppos'd  Injury  which  he  has 
done  to  him,  whose  Life  he  just  before  preserv'd  —  & 
what  is  this  Injury?  ^I'^  Love  for  a  Lady,  who  is  old 
Enough  to  be  [h]'is  Mother,  Whom  he  has  scarcely 
seen,  &  w^'^  whom  it  was  impossible  to  indulge  any  Pas- 
sion, there  not  being  Time,  from  his  Entrance  to  his 
Death,  ev'n  to  conceive  one.  these  I  think  My  Lord,  are 
y^  Chief  Objections  to  the  Tragedy — &  these  I  flatter 
Myself  Your  Lord?  was  sensible  of  before  You  sent  y^ 
Play  to  Me. 

I  have  consider'd  y^  Performance  by  Myself,  I  have 
read  it  to  a  Friend  or  Two  with  all  the  Energy  &  Spirit 
I  ":^^'  Master  of  ^"'  without  the  wish'd  for  Effect— 
The  Scenes  are  long  without  Action,  the  Characters 
want  strength  &  Pathos,  and  the  Catastrophe  is  brought 
about  without  y^  necessary  &  interesting  preparations 
for  so  great  an  Event  — 

A  Friend  of  Mine  has  made  some  Slight  Remarks 
upon  y^  Margin  with  his  pencil,  some  of  Which  I 
agreed  to  but  dissented  from  him  in  others — had  I 
thought  i  the  Tragedy  could  possibly  have  appear'd, 
I  would  have  submitted  some  Alterations  to  y^  Author  j 
But  upon  my  Word  &  honor,  I  think  yf  Tragedy  radi- 
cally defective,  &  in  Every  Act  incapable  of  raising  the 
Passions,  or  comanding  Attention.  I  must  now  Ask 
Your  Lordships  Pardon  for  detaining  you  so  long,  I 

I  MS.  worn. 


112  LETTERS  OF 

have  submitted  my  Opinion  to  y'  Lord?  without  Method 
or  reserve — I  am  conscious  that  I  have  repeated  my 
Thoughts,  but  as  I  intended  to  convince  Mf  Hume  '""'^^ 
of  my  Sincerity  &  Friendship  than  my  critical  Abilities, 
I  have  wTitten  with  y^  Same  openness  &  Freedom,  that 
I  would  have  convers'd. 

I  could  wish  that  yf  Lordship  would  oblige  me  so  far 
to  permit  this  Letter  to  be  sent  with  y^  Tragedy  into 
Scotland;  I  have  Undertaken  this  office  of  Critic  & 
Manager,  with  great  Reluctance,  being  well  convinced 
that  MI"  Hume  (for  whom  I  have  the  highest  Venera- 
tion) has  a  fatherly  fondness  for  his  Douglas — If  I  am 
so  happy  to  agree  with  Lord  Bute  in  opinion,  it  would 
be  a  less  Grievance  to  M.""  Hume  to  find  my  Sentiments 
of  his  Play,  not  contradicted  by  so  well-known  a  Judge 
of  Theatrical  Compositions, 
lam 

My  Lord 

Yr  Lordship's 
Most  humble 
& 
Most  Obed' 
Servant 

D.  Garrick. 

Was  Samuel  Johnson,  by  any  chance,  one  of  the 
"friends"  to  whom  Douglas  was  read  by  Garrick? 
When  most  of  London  was  acclaiming  it,  Johnson  de- 


^■a^^0  ■f5K:x^^'^?<.;;g^j«»:>\«i;^^*2«^  .    jsp^ 


GARRICK 
FROM  A  PORTRAIT  ATTRIBUTED  TO  DANCE 


:\'j/       . 


IIMTIA    i  l/.;i  1  »< 


DAVID  GARRICK  113 

clared  that  there  were  not ' '  ten  good  lines  in  the  whole 
play.- 

Garrick,  Bonnel  Thornton,  and  George  Colman 
were  shareholders  in  the  St.  James  Chronicle,  and  made 
it  the  most  successful  of  such  sheets  as  a  retailer  of 
literary  contests,  anecdotes,  and  humorous  and  witty 
articles.  For  it  Colman  wrote  indefatigably  essays  and 
occasional  articles,  on  every  subject.  One  set,  begun 
June  11,  1761,  The  Genius,  was  perhaps  the  most 
successful.  The  letter  to  Colman  here  printed  shows 
another  frequent  harassment  of  Garrick,  certain  jour- 
nalists of  the  time, — if  such  pirates  of  Grub  Street 
deserve  so  worthy  a  title. 

Dec''.  17^^1761. 
Dear  Colman. 

I  rejoice  that  you  are  arrived  safe  at  Bath,  but 
most  sincerely  wish  you  as  little  pleasure  ^''^^  as  pos- 
sible, and  You  may  guess  the  Reason — Fitzherbert 
being  with  you  will,  I  fear,  most  powerfully  counteract 
my  Wishes,  however,  I  have  some  small  hopes  from 
his  "^*  being  "°^'''  y"  same  Roof  with  you  — 

I  have  this  Moment  seen  our  Friend  Churchill'  &  told 
him  a  fine  Scheme  of  Vaughn's^  in  conjunction  with  the 


I  The  author  of  the  Rosciad  was  on  intimate  terms  with  both 
Thornton  and  Colman. 

2  Thomas  Vaughan,  clerk  to  Commission  of  the  Peace  for  West- 
minster, amateur  of  the  theatre,  writer  of  essays  for  the  Morning  Post 


114  LETTERS  OF 

Gang  of  Pottinger' — they  are  going  to  publish  a  Set  of 
Papers  call'd  the  Genius,  in  order  to  forestall  y'^  &  de- 
ceive the  Public.  It  is  a  most  infamous  design,  &  I  de- 
sir' d  Churchill  would  Let  Thornton  know  of  it,  which 
he  will  do  immediately,  &  prevent  their  Scoundrillity 
by  some  humourous  Paragraph — If  you  wl  have  any 
thing  done,  write  directly  &  You  shall  be  obeyed  most 
minutely. 

I  have  read  yf  last  &  think  J^*  a  fine  Plan^  a  little  too 
hastily  finished — there  is  Strength,  &  good  Sense,  but 
I  would  more  laugh  &.  pleasantry — our  new  Tragedy^ 
creeps  on ;  We  might  steal  it  on  to  Six  Nights  with 
much  loss,  but  I  hope,  that  the  Author  will  be  reason- 
able, &  satisfy'd  with  what  We  have  already  done, 
without  insisting  upon  our  losing  more  to  force  a  Re- 
putation —  this  Entre  Nous — You  have  heard  I  sup- 
pose of  a  Col-  Barry''  who  has  taken  y*  Lyon  by  the 

and  of  some  insignificant  plays.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  original 
of  Dangle  in  The  Critic.  See  Memoirs  of  the  Colman  Family^  Peake. 

1  Israel  Pottinger,  author  of  T'^cil/c^^ot/w/,  a  comedy.  An  essay  on 
The  Present  State  of  the  Theatre  yf&i  "  printed  for"  I.  Pottinger,  in 
1761.  An  unscrupulous  hack. 

2  Perhaps  for  The  Musical  Lady,  ^roducQd'm  1762. 

3  Dr.  Delap's  Hecuba.  It  ran  for  only  three  nights.  See  Private 
Correspondeftce,  i,  125. 

4  Isaac  Barr^  (1726-1802)  had  fought  with  Wolfe  at  Quebec.  "After 
fourteen  years  of  service  he  felt  justified  in  applying  to  Pitt  for  ad- 
vancement (28th  April,  1760),  but  he  was  refused  on  the  ground  that 
'  senior  officers  would  be  injured  by  his  promotion.'"  He  represented 
Chipping  Wycombe  from  December  5,  1761,  to  1774-  "  Five  days  after 
his  first  election  he  attacked  Pitt  with  great  fierceness  of  language ; 
and  the  effect  of  his  speech  was  heightened  by  his  massive  and  swarthy 


DAVID  GARRICK  115 

Beard  in  y^  Parliame*  house;  P made  no  Reply  to 

it,  &  lost  his  Question — the  Town  in  general  think  that 
y*  Col!  was  rather  too  rough  —  there  will  be  fine  work 
anon !  —  Whitehead's  play'  has  been  once  read,  &  has 
a  great  deal  of  Merit  — 

Pray  let  me  see  you  soon  with  y-  Bundle  of  Excellen- 
cies —  M^  Murphy  has  at  last  declar'd  off  with  us,  & 
in  a  Letter  to  Oliver,  says,  that  he  has  been  so  great  a 
loser  by  y^  Managers  of  Drury  Lane  that  he  can  never 
more  have  any  dealings  with  us  —  Wish  me  joy  my 
dear  Friend,  but  keep  this  to  y.  self  for  Many  Weighty 
reasons  — 

My  Love  to  Fitzherbert  &  believe  me  most 

Afiectionately  Yours 

D  Garrick. 

Mrs  Garrick 

pres*f  her  Comp*^  to  you  — 

On  few  subjects  have  the  biographers  of  Garrick 
been  surer  than  on  his  insincerity  in  talking,  after  his 
return  from  the  Continent  in  April,  1 765,  as  if  bethought 
seriously  of  not  returning  to  the  stage.  Even  the  least 
prejudiced  of  the  biographers,  Joseph  Knight,  says : 


figure,  as  well  as  by  the  bullet  [from  the  fighting  at  Quebec]  which 
had  lodged  loosely  in  his  chest,  and  given  '  a  savage  glare '  to  his  eye." 
See  Dic^.  Nat.  Biog. 

I  Probably  Wm.  Whitehead's  School  for  Lovers^  produced  Febru- 
ary 10,  1762. 


116  LETTERS  OF 

"When  Garrick  came  back,  his  announced  purpose 
was  not  to  act.  He  purposed  living  in  retirement  at 
Hampton  House,  now  known  as  Garrick  Villa.  ...  In 
the  arrangement  of  his  new  books  and  curios,  and  in  the 
continued  exercise  of  hospitality,  he  would  find  employ- 
ment enough,  and  the  'loathed  stage'  should  see  him 
no  more.  Some  there  were  whom  these  protestations 
took  in,  and  Hoadley  congratulated  Garrick  on  his  re- 
solution. An  ingenuous  nature  was  necessary  to  accept 
such  declarations.  The  wires  were  being  dexterously 
pulled,  and  a  royal  puppet  at  length  removed  all  Gar- 
rick's  scruples.  Mr.  Garrick  must  not  retire,  said 
George  the  Third.  Would  he  not  reappear  at  royal 
command?  What  could  so  loyal  a  subject  as  Garrick 
do?'" 

But  Dr.  Hoadley  had  good  ground  for  believing  that 
Garrick  was  seriously  in  doubt  about  his  return  to  the 
stage,  for  the  following  letter  of  Garrick  told  him  this 
in  so  many  words. 

London 

You  see  my  dear  D'  that  I  am  not  behind  hand 
with  You  in  friendly  promptness,  &  that  my  retort  cor- 
dial is  upon  the  heels  of  your  affectionate  Congratula- 
tions— Madam  &  I  are  arriv'd  from  Abroad  (as  the 

I  David  Garrick,  J.  Knight,  221-22. 


DAVID  GARRICK  117 

Papers  say)  and  as  I  say,  safe  &  sound;  which  are  bold 
Words  considering  Where  we  have  been ;  .  .  . 

If  by  y*"  word  Sound  you  include  a  general  state  of 
health  I  cannot  so  well  answer  your  question — I  am 
somewhat  y^  worse  for  Wear,  a  terrible  malignant  fever 
in  Germany  has  a  little  blited  me,  &  tho  I  get  better 
daily,  yet  I  am  not  able  to  answer  the  question  which  is  so 
often  put  to  Me,  whether  I  shall  strut  ^fret  my  hour  upon 
if  Stage  again:  my  fire  is  abated,  tho  my  Spirits  are  all 
alive  &  merry — a  Month  or  Six  Weeks  will  make  great 
discoveries — Your  Account  of  Madam  &  You  rejoices 
me  Much  &  Madam  &  I  take  great  part  in  y^.  happi- 
ness— 

My  poor  Girl  was  most  vilely  us'd  by  a  terrible  Nea- 
politan— Sciatica — I  would  willingly  have  compounded 
that  she  sh"?  have  been  a  Cripple  all  her  Life,  to  be  rid  of 
her  pains:  She  underwent,  hke  any  of  her  own  papistical' 
Martyresses  various  violent  operations,  &  was  at  last 
cur'd  by  an  Old  Woman's  recipe — blush  physick  blush — 

We  both  send  our  Warmest  love  to  You  both — ten 
thousand  thanks  for  yT  information  about  Dodd^  —  I 
must  intreat  you  to  see  them  again  &  again,  &  let  me 
know  their  qualities  a  little  more  minutely — they  are  to 
be  with  us  but  I  sh-  be  glad  of  so  good  a  guide,  to  set' 


1  Mrs.  Garrick  was  a  Roman  Catholic. 

2  See  Private  Correspondence,  i,  183,  for  Dr.  Hoadley's  reply  ad- 
miredly  characterizing  the  acting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dodd. 

3  MS.  doubtful. 


118  LETTERS  OF 

out  the  particulars — take  care  that  you  a  [re]'  not  de- 
ceiv'd  by  Comparison. 

You  must  not  let  them  know  what  we  write  about,  it 
will  add  to  their  importance,  w*^!"/  with  the  Gentleman's 
double  japan,  will  be  death  &  y^  Devil — I  Detest  a  Cox- 
comb, &  in  my  legacy  to  future  Managers  &  Players  (a 
posthumous  work)  I  have  laid  it  down  as  an  invariable 
Maxim  that  no  Coxcomb  can  be  a  theatrical  Genius — 

Yours'  Ever 
&  most  affect^ 
D.  Garrick 

I  shall  be  proud  to  be  acquainted  with  Cromwell'^  in 
his  new  Qoaths — pray  give  me  some  hints  about  the 
Dodds — it  is  of  great  Consequence  to  y^  friend — I  need 
say  no  more  —  if  you  speak  w^*"  Quin' — don't  forget 
my  respects  to  him  &  Madam's  Love. 

Stronger  evidence  still  that  Garrick  really  seriously 
considered  retiring  is  part  of  a  letter  to  his  brother 
George  in  November,  1765,  only  five  days  before  he 
reappeared  in  Much  Ado  about  Nothing.  Why  should 
he  wish  to  deceive  this  brother  who  had  always  been  so 


1  MS.  torn. 

2  Dr.  Hoadley  wrote  a  play,  never  produced,  on  Thomas  Cromwell^ 
Earl  of  Essex.  S&&  Private  Correspondence.,  i,  167. 

3  James  Quin,  whose  popularity  as  an  actor  was  seriously  affected 
by  Garrick's  rise.  They  were,  however,  by  the  date  of  this  letter,  when 
Quin  had  long  retired,  good  friends. 


DAVID  GARRICK  119 

devoted  to  the  actor  that  Garrick  was  constantly  want- 
ing him  for  this  or  that  ?  Indeed  when  George  Garrick 
died,  shortly  after  David,  the  mot  of  the  town  was  that 
the  cause  of  his  death  was  "David  wanted  him."  The 
letter  of  November  9,  1765,  begins  Dear  Brother^  and 
after  some  business  details  continues : — 

— His  Majesty  has  desir'd  me  to  appear  again  to 
Oblige  him  &  the  Queen.  I  shaU  Obey  their  Commands, 
but  only  for  a  few  Nights ;  my  resolution  is  to  draw  my 
Neck  as  well  as  I  can  out  of  y^  Collar,  &  sit  quietly  with 
my  Wife  &  books  by  my  fire-side  —  if  I  could  receive 
any  great  Pleasure  from  the  Eager  desire  of  all  Sorts  of 
People  to  see  Me  again,  I  might  have  it  at  present;  for 
indeed  their  violent  call  for  Me  is  as  general,  as  it  is  par- 
ticular —  thinking  People  afraid  of  Mischief  the  first 
Night,  &  I  wish  from  my  Soul  that  it  was  well  over — 

What  lends  color  to  Garrick' s  statement  about '  'a  few 
Nights ' '  is  the  fact  that  during  the  season  of  1 765-66  he 
appeared  but  ten  times,'  in  contrast  to  seventy  times  as 
the  lowest  number  of  appearances  in  any  previous  whole 
season.  In  the  second  season  of  his  return  to  the  stage  he 
acted  but  nineteen  times,  and  till  the  last  season  of  all  he 
never  passed  thirty-three  performances  in  any  one  the- 
atrical year.  Clearly,  though  he  yielded  to  pressure  from 

I  See  table  in  Life  of  David  Garrick^  P.  Fitzgerald,  ii,  469-70. 


120  LETTERS  OF 

friends  and  even  perhaps  to  the  glamour  of  his  work, 
he  did  in  part  withdraw  after  1 765. 

Frances  Brooke,  the  Biographia  Dramatica  declares, 
was  ' '  as  remarkable  for  gentleness  and  suavity  of  man- 
ners, as  for  her  Hterary  talents."  Posterity  has  not  re- 
membered the  talents,  and  "suavity,"  "gentleness," 
seem  odd  words  to  apply  to  her  in  the  light  of  her  vir- 
ulent and,  as  Garrick  declares  in  a  letter  to  Miss  Cado- 
gan,  wholly  ungrounded  attack  on  the  manager  in  her 
novel.  The  Excursion.  The  heroine,  Miss  Villiers,  has 
written  a  tragedy,  and  encouraged  by  the  hearty  ap- 
proval of  it  by  Hammond,  a  poet  of  renown,  submits  it 
through  him  to  the  Manager  of  Drury  Lane.  The  dia- 
logue between  Mr.  Hammond  and  the  Manager  is 
worth  quoting  as  an  amusing  if  exaggerated  picture  of 
an  harassed  manager  too  good-natured  to  dispose  of  the 
matter  summarily  and  too  busy  to  have  considered  care- 
fully a  play  he  does  not  need.  The  words  of  Hammond, 
however,  in  their  unsparing  directness  read  rather  like 
what  one  wishes  one  had  said  than  what  one  says. 
After  allowing  the  manager  but  a  very  short  time  for 
reading  the  play,  Hammond  calls  on  him  at  eleven  in 
the  morning. 

"  As  he  loves  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  all  authors 
of  reputation  who  have  the  complaisance  not  to  write 
for  the  theatre,  as  he  has  measures  to  keep  with  me  on 
account  of  some  of  my  connexions,  and  as  he  knows 


DAVID  GARRICK  121 

enough  of  my  temper  to  be  assured  it  is  not  calculated 
for  attendance,  I  was  admitted  the  moment  I  sent  up  my 
name.  I  found  him  surrounded  by  a  train  of  anxious 
expectants,  for  some  of  whom  I  felt  the  strongest  com- 
passion. .  .  . 

"The  train  which  compose  this  great  man's  levee 
all  retired  on  my  entrance,  when  the  following  conver- 
sation took  place:  — 

"Manager.'  'My  good  sir,  I  am  happy  anything 
procures  me  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you — I  was  talking 
of  you  only  last  week — ' 

"Hammond.  ' I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  sir,  but  the 
business  on  which  I  attend  you  — ' 

"Manager.  'Why — a — um — true — this  play  of 
your  friend's — You  look  amazingly  well,  my  dear  sir 
— In  short — this  play — I  should  be  charmed  to  oblige 
you — but  we  are  so  terribly  overstocked — ' 

"Hammond.  'I  am  not  to  learn  that  you  have  many 
applications,  and  therefore  am  determined  to  wait  on 
your  time — You  have  read  the  play  I  take  for  granted — ' 

"Manager.  'Why — a — um — no — not  absolutely 
read  it — Such  a  multiplicity  of  affairs — Just  skimmed 
the  surface — I — a — Will  you  take  any  chocolate,  my 
dear  friend  ? ' 

"Hammond.  ' I  have  only  this  moment  breakfasted, 
sir.  But  to  our  play.' 

I  The  names  of  the  speakers  are  inserted  because  the  distribution  of 
the  speeches  conflicts  in  the  original. 


122  LETTERS  OF 

Manager.  '  True  —  this  play  — the  writing  seems 
not  bad — something  tender — something  like  sentiment 
— but  not  an  atom  of  vis  comica. ' 

' '  Hammond.  '  In  a  tragedy,  my  good  sir? * 

"Manager.  'I  beg  pardon:  I  protest  I  had  forgot — I 
was  thinking  of  Mr.  What — d'ye — call — um's  com- 
edy, which  he  left  me  last  Tuesday.  But  why  tragedy? 
why  not  write  comedy?  There  are  real  sorrows  enough 
in  life  without  going  to  seek  them  at  the  theatre — Tra- 
gedy does  not  please  as  it  used  to  do,  I  assure  you.  Sir. 

' '  '  You  see  I  scarce  ever  play  tragedy  now  ?  The 
public  taste  is  quite  changed  within  these  three  or  four 
years? 

"  '  Yet  Braganza  [a  recent  great  success  in  tragedy, 
in  which  Mrs.  Yates,  the  intimate  friend  of  Mrs. 
Brooke,  added  greatly  to  her  reputation  as  an  actress]  — 
a  lucky  hit,  I  confess — something  well  in  the  last  scene 
— But  as  I  was  saying,  sir — your  friend's  play — there 
are  good  lines — But — the  fable — the  manners — the 
conduct — people  imagine  —  if  authors  would  be  di- 
rected— but  they  are  an  incorrigible  race — 

"  'Ah,  Mr.  Hammond !  we  have  no  writers  now  — 
there  was  a  time — your  Shakespeares  &  old  Bens — If 
your  friend  would  call  on  me,  I  could  propose  a  piece  for 
him  to  alter ^  which  perhaps — ' 

"Hammond.  'My  commission,  sir,  does  not  extend 
beyond  the  tragedy  in  question,  therefore  we  will,  if 
you  please,  return  to  that.' 


GARRICK  AS  LEON 
IN  'RULE  A  WIFE  AND  HAVE  A  WIFE' 


DAVID  GARRICK  123 

' '  Manager.  *  Be  so  good,  my  dear  sir,  as  to  reach  me 
the  gentleman's  play:  it  lies  under  the  right  hand  pillow 
of  the  sofa '  —  He  took  the  play,  which  was  still  in  the 
cover  in  which  I  had  sent  it,  &  it  was  easy  to  see  had 
never  been  opened.  He  turned  over  the  leaves  with  an 
air  of  the  most  stoical  inattention,  and  proceeded: 

" '  There  is  a  kind  of  a — sort  of  a — smattering  of  ge- 
nius in  this  production,  which  convinces  me  the  writer, 
with  proper  advice,  might  come  to  something  in  time. 
But  these  authors  —  and  after  all,  what  do  they  do? 
They  bring  the  meat  indeed,  but  who  instructs  them 
how  to  cook  it?  Who  points  out  the  proper  seasoning 
for  the  dramatic  ragout.  Who  furnishes  the  savoury 
ingredients  to  make  the  dish  palatable?  Who  brings 
the  Attic  salt? — the  Cayenne  pepper? — the — the — a 

—  'Tis  amazing  the  pains  I  am  forced  to  take  with 
these  people,  in  order  to  give  relish  to  their  insipid  pro- 
ductions— ' 

"Hammond.  'I  have  no  doubt  of  all  this,  sir,  but 
the  morning  is  wearing  away. 

You  have  many  avocations,  and  I  would  not  take 
up  your  time,  I  have  only  one  word  to  add  to  what  I  have 
said:  I  know  we  are  too  late  for  the  present  season,  but 
you  will  oblige  me  infinitely  if  you  will  make  room  for 
this  piece  in  the  course  of  the  next.' 

"Manager.  '  The  next  season,  my  dear  sir! — Why 

—  a — it  is  absolutely  impossible  —  I  have  six-and- 
twenty  new  tragedies  on  my  promise-list — besides  I 


124  LETTERS  OF 

have  not  read  it.  — That  is — if — if — a — your  friend 
will  send  it  me  in  July — if  I  approve  it  in  July,  I  will 
endeavour — let  me  see — what  year  is  this? — O,  I  re- 
member—  't  is  seventy-five  —  Yes  —  if  I  think  it  will 
do,  I  will  endeavour  to  bring  it  out  in  the  winter  of 
— the  winter  of — eighty-two.  That  is,  if  my  partner 
— if  Mr. should  have  made  no  engagement,  un- 
known to  me,  for  that  year,  which  may  put  it  out  of  my 
power.' 

"  'I  wished  him  a  good  morning,  madam,  and  have 
brought  back  your  tragedy.  ..."  'The  incoherent 
jumble  of  words  without  ideas,  which  I  have  been  re- 
peating to  you,  madam,*  pursued  he,  'is,  I  am  told, 
the  general  answer  to  dramatic  writers,  who  are  in- 
tended to  be  disgusted  by  this  unworthy  treatment, 
which  the  managers  honour  with  the  name  of  policy, 
from  thinking  of  any  future  applications.' 

"That  vulgar,  unenlightened  minds  should  act  with 
this  wretched  imitation  of  craft  (for  even  craft  is  here 
too  respectable  an  appellation),  I  should  naturally  ex- 
pect ;  but  that  a  man  of  excellent  understanding,  of  the 
most  distinguished  talents,  the  idol  of  the  public;  with 
as  much  fame  as  his  most  ardent  wishes  can  aspire  to, 
and  more  riches  than  he  knows  how  to  enjoy ;  should 
descend  to  such  contemptible  arts,  with  no  nobler  a 
view  than  that  of  robbing  the  Dramatic  Muse,  to  whom 

I    The  Excursion,  book  v,  ch.  vii,  pp.  20-29. 


DAVID  GARRICK  125 

he  owes  that  fame  and  those  riches,  of  her  little  share  of 
the  reward,  is  a  truth  almost  too  improbable  to  be  be- 
lieved. 

"Would  it  not  have  been  wiser,  as  well  as  more 
manly,  to  have  said  in  the  clearest  and  most  unambigu- 
ous terms,  '  Sir,  we  have  no  occasion  for  new  pieces 
while  there  are  only  two  English  theatres  in  a  city  so 
extensive  and  opulent  as  London ;  a  city  which,  in  the 
time  of  Elizabeth,  when  the  frequenters  of  the  theatre 
were  not  a  tenth  part  of  the  present,  supported  seventeen. 
We  will  therefore  never  receive  any  new  production 
but  when  we  are  compelled  to  it  by  recommendations, 
which  we  dare  not  refuse :  nor  will  I  read  the  tragedy 
you  bring,  lest  its  merit  should  make  me  ashamed  to 
reject  it.' 

"This  would  have  been  indeed  the  language  of 
a  thankless  son  of  the  drama ;  the  language  of  a  man 
having  no  object  in  view  but  his  own  emolument,  and 
wanting  gratitude  to  that  publick,  and  to  the  beautiful 
art,  to  which  he  was  so  much  indebted ;  but  it  would 
have  been  the  language  of  a  man,  and  a  man  possessed 
of  sufficient  courage  to  avow  his  principle  of  action. 

"Indulge  me  a  moment  longer.  The  person,  of  whom 
I  have  been  speaking,  deserves,  in  his  profession,  all  the 
praise  we  can  bestow:  he  has  thrown  new  lights  on  the 
science  of  action,  and  has,  perhaps,  reached  the  sum- 
mit of  theatrical  perfection. 

"I  say  perhaps,  because  there  is  no  limiting  the 


126  LETTERS  OF 

powers  of  the  human  mind,  or  saying  where  it  will 
stop. 

**It  is  possible  he  may  be  excelled,  though  that  he 
may  be  equalled  is  rather  to  be  wished  than  expected, 
whenever  (if  that  time  ever  comes)  his  retiring  shall 
leave  the  field  open  to  that  emulation  which  both  his 
merit  and  his  management  have  contributed  to  extin- 
guish. 

"I  repeat,  that,  as  an  actor,  thepublick  have  scarce 
more  to  wish  than  to  see  him  equalled ;  as  an  author,  he 
is  not  devoid  of  merit;  as  a  manager,  he  has,  I  am 
afraid,  ever  seen  the  dawn  of  excellence,  both  in  those 
who  aspired  to  write  for,  or  to  tread,  the  theatre,  with 
a  reluctant  eye ;  and  has  made  it  too  much  his  object, 
if  common  sense,  aided  by  impartial  observation,  is  not 
deceived,  '  To  blast  each  rising  literary  blossom  and 
plant  thdrns  round  the  pillow  of  genius.' '" 

Not  content  with  this  remarkably  inclusive  re-state- 
ment of  nearly  all  the  current  cavillings  against  Garrick, 
Mrs.  Brooke  added  that  when  Miss  Villiers  told  Ham- 
mond he  should  have  urged  that  the  piece  was  the  work 
of  a  "young  and  amiable  woman,  and  of  family  and 
unblemished  character,  and  that  the  part  of  the  heroine 
exactly  fitted  the  abilities  of  the  leading  actress  at 
Drury  Lane,"  Hammond  smiled  sarcastically  because 

1   The  Excursion,  book  v,  ch.  viii,  pp.  32-36. 


DAVID  GARRICK  127 

he  ' '  thought  them  both  extremely  unfavorable  to  the 
cause." ' 

Of  course  some  play  declined  lay  back  of  all  this,  but 
if  Johnson  is  to  be  trusted,  Mrs.  Brooke's  plays  de- 
served their  fate.  She  had  repeatedly  urged  him  to  look 
over  her  Siege  of  Sinope  before  it  was  acted,  but  he  al- 
ways found  means  to  evade  her.  At  last  she  pressed  him 
so  hard  that  he  flatly  refused,  telling  her  that  by  care- 
fully looking  it  over,  she  should  herself  be  as  well  able 
as  he  to  see  if  anything  was  amiss.  *'But,  sir,"  she 
said,  "I  have  no  time.  I  have  already  so  many  irons  in 
the  fire."  "Why,  then,  madam,"  said  Johnson,  "the 
best  thing  I  can  advise  you  to  do  is  to  put  your  tragedy 
along  with  your  irons."  * 

It  shows  the  sensitiveness  of  Garrick  that  such  evi- 
dent exaggeration  should  have  troubled  him  seriously, 
but  evidently  it  did. 

July\7.  [1777.]^ 
Why  should  not  I  say  a  Word  to  my  dear  Miss 
Cadogan?  When  shall  we  see  &  laugh  with  you  at  this 
sweet  place?  I  long  to  hear  you  idolize  Shakespeare  & 
yf  father  unimmortalize  him:  We  shall  be  here  till 
Wednesday  next  &  return  again  from  London  on  Fri- 

1  The  Excursion^  book  v,  p.  38. 

2  Memoirs  of  H.  More,  William  Roberts,  i,  118. 

3  The  date  of  publication  of  Mrs.  Brooke's  novel,  and,  still  more, 
the  date  of  Miss  Cadogan's  reply  to  this  letter  {Private  Correspond- 
ence, II,  239)  decide  the  date. 


128  LETTERS  OF 

day  Evening  ^if '  will  you  &  y"  come  before  Wednesday 
or  after  Friday  take  Your  Choice? — I  hope  you  have 
seen  how  much  I  am  abus'd  in  y5  Friend  M*^^  Brooke's 
new  Novel? — She  is  pleas'd  to  insinuate  that  [I  am]  an 
Excellent  Actor,  a  So  So  Author,  an  Execrable  Man- 
ager &  a  worse  Man  —  thank  you  good  Madam 
Brookes — If  my  heart  was  not  better  than  my  head,  I 
would  not  give  a  farthing  for  the  Carcass,  but  let  it 
dangle,  as  it  would  deserve,  with  It's  brethren  at  y^ 
End  of  Oxford  Road ' —  She  has  invented  a  Tale  about 
a  Tragedy,  which  is  all  a  Lie,  from  beginning  to  y^ 
End — she  Even  says,  that  I  should  reject  a  Play,  if  it 
should  be  a  Woman's  —  there  's  brutal  Malignity  for 
you — have  not  y^  Ladies — Mesdames  Griffith,  Cow- 
ley, &.  Cilesia  spoke  of  me  before  their  Plays  with  an 
Over-Enthusiastick  Encomium? — What  says  divine 
Hannah  More?  —  &  more  than  all  what  says  the  more 
divine  Miss  Cadogan? — Love  to  y*^  father 

Yours  Ever  most  affect^ 

D.  Garrick 
I  never  saw  Madam  Brooke — 

What  a  Couple  of  wretches  are  ye  Yateses  Brooke's 
partners — I  work'd  with  Zeal  for  their  Patent*  — 
wrote  a  100  Letters,  &  they  were  Stimulating  Crump- 
ling^ all  y*"  While  to  Mischief  &  they  deferr'd  y^  publi- 

1  Tyburn,  the  gallows-place,  of  course. 

2  In  1774  Mrs.  Yates  was  joint  manager,  with  Mrs.  Brooke,  of  the 
Haymarket  Opera  House. 

3  The  MS.  is  difficult  to  read  here.  Possibly  Cumberland? 


GARRICK  AS  KING  LEAR 


DAVID  GARRICK  129 

cation  till  this  time,'  that  I  might  not  cool  in  their  Cause 
— there  are  Devils  for  you — If  you  send  me  a  Line,  let 
it  go  to  y^  Adelphi  any  day  before  12  — 

Miss  Cadogan,  in  a  charmingly  friendly  reply  to  this 
letter  printed  by  Boaden,*  thus  sums  up  the  situation : 
"She  is  not  of  consequence  enough  to  excite  your 
anger.  .  .  .  While  you  will  continue  to  be  good  and 
great,  you  must  expect  your  share  of  abuse.  .  .  .  Let 
them  analyse  you  as  much  as  they  can,  they  can  neither 
diminish  your  value  nor  destroy  your  lustre."  But 
Garrick  would  never  have  played  St.  Sebastian  well. 

Probably  the  busy  manager  found  but  little  offset  to 
the  spite  of  his  enemies  in  such  bare-faced  flattery  as  is 
proffered  in  the  following  notes  from  Hare,  the  wit  and 
politician,  and  Thomas  Fitzmaurice. 

[June  6,  1776]^ 
Dear  Sir 

L^  Betty  Delane  and  L''  Julia  Howard  have  de- 
sired me  to  endeavor  to  get  them  a  Box  or  part  of  one 
for  tomorrow :  All  I  can  say  to  recommend  them  to 
Your  consideration,  is,  that  they  are  Ladies  of  the  best 
Taste  and  Judgment  that  I  ever  had  the  Honor  of 

1  In  a  note  of  T/ie  Excursion  Mrs.  Brooke  states  that  the  chapter  at- 
tacking the  manager  of  Drury  Lane  was  written  long  before  he  with- 
drew from  the  stage  in  1776.  The  book  was  not  printed  till  1777. 

2  Private  Correspondence,  11,  239. 

3  Dated  by  Garrick  on  back  of  letter. 


130  LETTERS  OF 

knowing,  and  their  Admiration  of  you  in  all  Characters 
is  a  convincing  Proof  of  it. — They  have  never  seen  you 
in  Lear,  and  I  cannot  bear  the  thought  of  their  having 
so  inadequate  an  Idea  of  Mf  Garrick's  Excellence,  as 
any  person  must  have  who  has  never  seen  him  in  a  part 
where  he  exceeds  himself  almost  in  the  same  degree  as 
he  does  all  others  in  all  other  Characters — If  this  was 
not  my  real  opinion,  I  should  be  ashamed  of  making 
you  a  Compliment  so  grossly  expressed — but  upon  my 
Honor  it  is  in  my  judgment  literally  true. 

I  am  with  great  Respect,  Sir, 

Your  most  obed*  Humble  Serv' 

Wimpole  Street  J.  Hare. 

Friday  Morning 

H,  Wycombe 
May  Z\,  1771. 
My  Dear  Sir, 

I  feel  myself  not  a  little  unfortunate  in  being 
obliged  to  be  in  the  Country  on  any  day  that  you  are  to 
instruct,  delight  &  entertain  the  world  upon;  such, 
however,  is  my  Situation  in  regard  to  tomorrow  when 
I  proposed  to  myself  much  pleasure  in  seeing  you  in 
Leon.  Lest,  therefore,  you  may  have  had  the  goodness  to 
reserve  places  for  me,  I  think  it  right  to  trouble  you  with 
this,  that  you  may  make  one  or  two  people  un-expect- 
edly  happy  from  among  those  thousands  whom  un-a- 
voidably  you  must  make  miserable.  Truly  this  is  a  very 


DAVID  GARRICK  131 

bad  Compliment  that  I  must  pay  you,  but  it  is  a  very 
just  one,  Namely,  that  you  can  never  appear  for  a  quar- 
ter of  an  hour,  much  less  in  a  principal  Character,  upon 
the  Stage,  without  making  a  hundred  people  unhappy 
for  one  that  you  delight.  I  beg  my  very  best  respects  to 
M^^  Garrick  &  that  youll  believe  me  to  remain  now,  as 
at  all  times,  with  the  strongest  attachment  &  regard, 
My  Dear  Sir, 

Your  most  Obliged 
&  faithfull 
&  humble  Servant 

Thom^  FrrzMAURicE. 

In  the  midst  of  all  these  harassments — by  actors, 
partners,  dramatists,  and  what  not — Garrick  got  much 
pleasure  from  writing  occasional  verse,  most  of  which, 
but  by  no  means  all,  is  printed  in  his  Poetical  Works. 
Besides  copies  of  three  or  four  of  the  verses  already 
known, — notably  a  copy  of  the  well-known  lines  to  Peg 
Woffington  which  has  a  stanza  not  before  printed  and 
other  verbal  differences, — the  Leigh  Collection  con- 
tains five  poems  not  published  before. 

The  lines  to  Peg  Woffington  are  given  in  the  Leigh 
MS.  as  follows:' 

I  For  the  usual  version  of  this  see  Life  of  Garrick,  Fitzgerald,  i, 
60,  or  Poetical  Works,  11,  365.  The  additional  fourth  stanza  here  is  the 
chief  difference.  A  note  at  the  bottom  of  the  sheet  in  an  unknown  hand 
dates  the  MS.  "June,  1745." 


132  LETTERS  OF 

If  Truth  can  fix  thy  wav'ring  Heart, 

Let  Damon  Urge  his  Claim ; 
He  feels  the  Passion  void  of  Art, 

A  Pure,  &  constant  flame. 

Though  Sighing  Swains  their  Torments  tell, 

Their  worthless  Love  contemn, 
They  only  prize  the  Beauteous  Shell 

But  slight  the  inward  Gem. 

Possession  cures  the  wounded  Heart, 

Destroys  the  transient  Fire, 
But  when  the  Mind  receives  the  Dart, 

Enjoyment  Whets  Desire. 

The  Senses  in  Yf  Charms  enjoy 

A  Sweet  but  short  Repast, 
But  oh,  Yr.  Mind  can  never  cloy 

The  Soul's  eternal  Feast ! 

By  Time  your  beauty  will  decay, 

Yf  Mind  improves  with  Years ; 
As  when  the  Blossomes  fade  away, 

The  Rip'ning  Fruit  appears. 

May  Heav'n  &  Sylvia  grant  my  Suit, 

And  bless  each  future  hour, 
That  Damon  who  can  taste  the  fruit 

May  Gather  Evry  Flow'r. 

In  the  Poetical  Works  are  two  sets  of  verses,  one  called 
Garrick's  Answer  to  the  other,  an  invitation  by  Chatham 
to  Garrick  as  the 


DAVID  GARRICK  133 

"  immortal  spirit  of  the  stage, 
Great  nature's  proxy,  glass  of  every  age," 

to  visit  him  at  his  country  seat  in  Devonshire,  Mt. 
Exlgecumbe.'  Garrick's  lines  were,  however,  written 
first,  then,  apparently,  Chatham's;''  and  finally,  it  would 
seem,  the  verses  now  printed  for  the  first  time. 

TO  LORD  CHATHAM  COMING  INTO 
DEVONSHIRE. 

Pass  to  Mount  Edgecumbe,  Chatham,  there  you  '11  find, 

A  Place  w^ell  suited  to  y^  Mighty  Mind  ! 

O'er  Hills  &  Vales  &  Seas,  the  lordly  Land, 

With  boundless  View  exerts  supreme  Command, 

Whether  in  stormy  Majesty  It  towr's  ! 

Or  charms  the  Soul  w^J^  Pleasure's  calmer  Pow'rs  [,] 

All  from  below  to  Its  Superior  Heights, 

Look  up  with  Awe,  with  Wonder,  &  delight ! 

On  the  same  sheet  are  four  lines  of  epigram  contrast- 
ing this  visit  to  Mt.  Edgecumbe  with  a  visit  of  Gar- 
rick  to  Warwick  Castle  in  1768.  He  had  been  pressed 
to  pass  a  week  en  famille  at  the  Castle,  but  when  he 
went  he  was  "shown  the  curiosities  like  a  common 
traveller,  treated  with  chocolate,  and  dismissed  di- 
rectly." 

1  Poetical  Works  of  David  Garrick,  ii,  525-26. 

2  A  copy  of  the  Poetical  Works  now  belonging  to  the  editor  of  these 
letters,  but  once  the  property  of  the  late  Justin  Winsor,  who  at  one 
time  planned  to  write  a  life  of  Garrick,  bears  this  correction  in  Mr. 
Winsor's  hand. 


134  LETTERS  OF 

'T  is  true,  as  they  say,  that  to  Death  from  our  birth 
Good,  &  Evil  are  ballanc'd  to  Mortals  on  Earth, 
For  the  debt  that  was  due  from  y^  Castle  of  Warwick 
With  Int'rest  is  paid  by  Alount  Edgecumbe  to  Garrick. 

Garrick  seems  to  have  been  given  to  writing  lines  on 
pictures  of  himself,  and  one  set  is  to  Lord  Mansfield, 
who  was  among  the  earliest  of  his  distinguished  friends. 

UPON  LORD  MANSFIELD  DESIRING  MY 
PICTURE. 

My  greedy  Ear  when  vain,  &  young. 
Devoured  the  plaudits  of  y^  throng  : 
When  the  Same  Coin  to  those  was  paid. 
Whom  Nature'' s  Jou^jieyman  had  madcy 
My  Judgment  rip'ning  with  my  Years, 
My  heart  gave  way  to  doubts,  &  fears. 
Till  He  who  asking  grants  a  favor, 
Mansfield^  has  fix'd  me  Vain  for  Ever ! 
Mansfield^  whose  censure  or  whose  praise, 
That  of  whole  Theatres  outweighs : 
By  ev'ry  mark  of  favor  grac'd, 
I,  in  Fame's  temple  shall  be  plac'd  ! 
Superior  Minds  from  Death  retrieve 
A  favor'd  Name,  &  bid  it  live  ; 
Great  Merit  stands  alone,  but  small 
Will  with  its  Patron  rise  or  fall. 
'T  is  not  a  proof  of  Tully's  power, 
That  Roscius  has  surviv'd  this  hour. 
The  Pla^r  tho  not  to  Tully  known. 
Had  liv'd  by  Merits  of  his  own ; 


GARRICK  LATE  IN  LIFE 


''i\''>\f  W 'W "^n^^W 'WW**^'"'\\"^l "^ly-^f'^f^li "^y"<^y<\.' ' 


y 


DAVID  GARRICK  135 

But  what  must  be  our  Tully's  claim, 
Whose  favor  gives  to  Garrick  Fame  ? ' 

In  the  autumn  of  1766,  apparently,  Garrick  sent 
M.  Favart,  of  the  Theatre  Francais,  his  picture,  for  on 
the  ninth  of  January,  1767,  Favart  acknowledged  the 
gift,  writing,  in  part,  as  follows :  * 

''  Apropos,  si  je  ne  vous  savois  pas  indulgent,  je 
croirois  que  vous  etes  fache  contre  moi,  pour  ne  vous 
avoir  pas  encore  remercie  du  present  que  vous  m'avez 
fait ;  c'est  un  des  plus  agreables  que  j' aye  jamais  recus. 
Voici  I'epigraphe  que  j'ai  mise  au  bas  de  portrait  de 
notre  cher  Garrick. 

PLURES  IN  UNO. 

Les  vers  suivans  expriment  ma  pensee. 
En  lui  seul  on  voit  plusieurs  hommes. 
Lui  seul  nous  offre  les  tableaux 
De  mille  et  mille  originaux, 
Tant  des  siecles  passes  que  du  siecle  o^  nous  sommes. 

Les  ridicules,  les  erreurs 
Sont  traces  d'apres  eux  par  ce  Peintre  fidele, 
Mais  pour  representer  I'honnete  homme  et  ses  moeurs, 

II  n'a  pas  besoin  de  modele. 

En  recevant  ce  charmant  portrait,  je  vous  avouerai 
qu'il  m'a  fallu  quelques  momens  pour  en  demeler  la 

1  This  is  signed  "  Garrick"  in  pencil.  The  signature  is  probably  not 
authentic. 

2  Private  Correspondence,  ii,  502. 


136  LETTERS  OF 

ressemblance,  et  mon  incertitude  a  donne  lieu  a  ces  au- 
tres  vers. 

Est-ce  toi,  cher  Garrick  ?  et  Part  de  la  peinture 

Offre-t'-il  h.  mes  yeux  le  Roscius  Anglois  ? 
Tu  changes  a  ton  gre  de  forme  et  de  figure ; 

Mais  ton  coeur  ne  change  jamais. 
Si  I'artiste  efit  pu  rendre  avec  des  traits  de  flamme 

L'amitie,  la  franchise,  et  I'amour  du  bienfait, 
Esprit,  gout,  sentimens,  genie  .  .  .  enfin  ton  Sme, 

J'aurois  reconnu  ton  portrait." 

Some  signed  verses  in  the  Leigh  Collection  are 
evidentiy  Garrick' s  reply  to  these  compliments  from 
Favart. 

VOILA  MES  VERS. 

The  Picture  Friendship  sent,  to  Friendship  due, 
May  not  the  critick  Eye,  with  rapture  strike ; 

But  this,  Favart,  thy  partial  fondness  drew, 
Not  vanity  will  whisper  it  is  like. 

But  why  for  Afe  thy  choicest  Colours  blend  .'* 
The  first  of  Actors,  best  of  Mortals  paint.!* 

Let  Fancy  sleep,  &  Judgment  place  thy  friend, 
Far  from  a  Genius,  further  from  a  Saint. 

I  feel  the  danger  of  thy  Syren  Art, 

Struck  with  a  Pride  till  now  I  never  knew ; 

Sooth  not  the  folly  of  a  Mind  and  heart. 
Which  boast  no  Merit  but  the  Love  of  you. 

The  reverse  of  the  sheet  containing  these  lines  shows 
the  following  French  version,  signed  D  G. ,  — with  this 


DAVID  GARRICK  137 

postscript,  "N.  B.  Notre  ami  La  Place  peut  vous  don- 
ner  une  traduction  excellente.  Faite-lui  mille  Compli- 
menspour  moi." 

Si  dans  mon  Portrait  cher  favart 
Ton  Esprit  suspendu  chercha  la  ressemblance, 
Penses-tu  que  celui  qu'a  dessine  ton  Art, 
Doit,  pour  I'exactitude  avoir  la  preference. 

Ton  aveugle  amitie,  des  plus  belles  couleurs 

Peint  le  Meilleur  des  Coeurs,  le  premier  des  Acteurs, 

Chasse  une  Illusion  qui  m'est  trop  favorable, 

Vols  ton  Ami  d'un  Oeil  plus  sain : 
II  est  loin  d'etre  un  genie  admirable. 

Plus  loin  encore  d'etre  un  Saint. 

Je  sens  trop  le  danger  de  ton  Art  Enchanteur, 
Tu  portes  dans  mon  Ame  un  Orgeuil  seducteur, 

Mais  ma  Vanite  raisonable 
Me  montre  le  seul  point  en  quoy  Je  suis  louable, 
C'est  d'aimer  tes  talents  et  d'estimer  ton  Coeur. 

On  the  last  page  of  the  sheets  containing  the  next 
set  of  verses  is  this  message  to  the  Duke  de  Nivernois, 
who  was  on  very  friendly  terms  with  Garrick  when 
Ambassador  Plenipotentiary  to  England  in  1763  to 
negotiate  conditions  of  peace  in  the  Seven  Years'  War: 
' '  If  the  Duke  of  Nivernois  has  the  pleasure  of  knowing 
M^  Horace  Walpole,  M^  Garrick  will  take  it  as  a  great 
favour,  if  his  Grace  would  shew  the  Ode  to  Him,  as  he 
promis'd  a  friend  of  M'  Walpole  to  send  it  to  him  at 


138  LETTERS  OF 

Paris  " — The  verses  are  in  behalf  of  Alexander  Schom- 
berg,  brother  of  the  lifelong  friend  of  Garrick,  Dr. 
Schomberg.  He  seems  to  have  been  a  somewhat  devil- 
may-care  person.  The  lines  were  written  before  Septem- 
ber, 1767,  for  on  the  fourth  of  that  month  Charles 
Townshend  died. 

DAVID  GARRICK 

TO 

THE  RIGHT  HON«P  CHARLES  TOWNSHEND 

IN  BEHALF  OF  CAPTAIN  SCHOMBERG. 


I. 

If  true  that  as  the  Wit  is  great, 

The  Mem'ry  's  in  proportion  small ; 

Ask  Him,  or  Her,  the  first  You  meet, 
They  '11  swear  that  You  have  none  at  all. 

2. 

This  fact  premis'd,  —  shall  I  once  doubt, 

Again  to  urge  my  former  suit .'' 

A  thousand  Grains  are  blown  about, 

For  one  that  happily  takes  root. 

3- 

Imagination  like  the  Wind, 

Lets  not  the  seeds  of  kindness  rest ; 

But  tho  they  're  scatter'd  from  your  mind, 
They  fall,  &  settle  in  Your  breast. 


MRS.  GARRICK  AT  97 


I 


I 


^^m 


DAVID  GARRICK  139 

4- 
To  humble  tasks  your  heart  will  bend, 

To  feel  neglected  Worth  submit, 
And  there  will  Schomberg  find  a  friend, 

Benevolent,  in  spite  of  Wit. 

5- 
But  how  for  one  so  wild  provide, 

For  one  so  helpless  what  relief  ? 
O  Sooth  his  Mis'ry  thro'  his  pride, 

And  raise  him  to  an  Indian  Chief ! 

6. 

Send  Him  where  oft  he  fought,  &  bled. 

Again  to  cross  th'  Atlantic  Sea  ; 
To  Tomahawk,  and  Wampum  bred. 

He 's  more  than  half  a  Cherokee  ! 

7- 
Make  him  the  Tyrant  of  a  fort ; 

He  '11  Ask  no  more  of  You,  &  fate ; — 
Surrounded  by  his  Scalping  Court, 

What  Monarch  would  be  half  so  great ! 

8. 

'T  is  there  his  Genius  will  surprise, 

Create  Love,  awe,  &  Veneration  ! 
In  England  lost,  He  there  may  rise. 

The  Toivnshend  of  a  savage  Nation  ! 


140      LETTERS  OF  DAVID  GARRICK 

It  is  certainly  remarkable  that  a  collection  made  orig- 
inally solely  for  purposes  of  extra-illustrating  should 
contain' so  little  of  unimportance,  and  even  more  remark- 
able that  so  small  a  collection  as  that  of  Mr.  Leigh  — 
some  seventy-five  manuscripts — should  rectify  certain 
impressions  about  Garrick's  relations  with  Lady  Bur- 
lington ;  throw  light  on  the  earlier  part  of  his  friendship 
with  John  Hoadley ;  reveal  a  friendship  of  his  last  days 
the  closeness  of  which  has  hitherto  been  unsuspected 
— that  with  Miss  Cadogan;  go  far  to  justify  his  treat- 
ment of  Home's  Douglas;  prove  that  he  was  really 
thinking  seriously  in  1765  of  withdrawing  from  the 
stage ;  and  in  more  than  one  instance  so  fill  gaps  in  the 
Private  Correspondence  as  to  make  letters  printed  therein 
much  clearer  and  more  significant.  Above  all,  as  a  set, 
the  Leigh  Collection  shows  how  perfectly  the  lines  apply 
to  Garrick  of  the  ' '  god  of  his  idolatry, ' '  Shakespeare : 

"  I  never  yet  saw  man, 
How  wise,  how  noble,  young,  how  rarely  f eatur'd. 
But  Spleen  would  spell  him  backward." 


C^^ 


-■PHA/RY, 


RETURN       CIRCULATION  DEPARTMENT 
TOm^       202  Main  Library 

LOAN  PERIOD  1 
HOME  USE 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

ALL  BOOKS  MAY  BE  RECALLED  AFTER  7  DAYS 

1 -month  loans  may  be  renewed  by  calling  642-3405 

6-month  loans  may  be  recharged  by  bringing  books  to  Circulation  Desk 

Renewals  and  recharges  may  be  made  4  days  prior  to  due  date 

DUE   AS  STAMPED  BELOW 

MAY  6    1977      * 

1 

Jf"^^ 

REC.CIR-MAY     3*80 

iBi,m,    m  1 1 

78 

,.,   ■\9^W78 

i 

uiz-  c-:rL 

MAR     <'  i9Sn 

FORM  NO   DD  6                               UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA,  BERKELEY 

BERKELEY,  CA  94720 

BERKELEY  LIBRARIES 


CD3ST3Tlia 


r 


1GB484 


>* 


T  i  :^ 


t-{^''...<^,. 


